UCLA Center for East Asian Studies
Market Research Companies
Firstages Express
This website offers services in market research,
translation, and product sourcing. Market research involves market research
and analysis, identifying target audiences for launching a product, and
conducting additional market studies once a product is growing. This company
offers advice on Chinese culture and customs in the form of speeches,
organized discussion topics, and written advice or instructions for firms
conducting business in China. In addition, the company provides assistance
with marketing strategies such as choosing the appropriate set up for company
presentations, reaching potential customers, and locating the right area and
partner for a firm’s venture into the China market. The company translates
(Chinese/English) business documents and files, manuals, catalogues and
business cards, legal documents and contracts, technical/scientific
literature, and websites. The company also provides interpreters. The website
offers a project translation package that is directed at companies seeking to establish
themselves in China by building a Chinese customer base, partnering with
Chinese representatives, or carrying
out any project in China. The
translation package includes the translation of all the
project documentation, as well as fax, telephone or E-mail communications with
potential Chinese partners. The
company’s product sourcing services involve assistance in locating
suppliers, ordering products, payment, and shipping. The major products
handled are Chinese hand-dyed fabrics, handicrafts, and art pieces.
Consultation contact is via email, consult@firstages.com.
For other contacts, the email is listed as sasha@firstages.com.
The company’s online list of clients includes firms from Europe, Canada, and
the U.S. The information provided by the web page is useful, but not overly
extensive.
CreditCN Business Consulting, Ltd. (信用中国)
Founded by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation’s (MOFTEC’s) Computer Center and Midwest Group, this company claims to be “one of the earliest and the most famous firms in the credit management and market research industry in China.” MOFTEC’s Computer Center is an organization dealing with credit information, debt collection, and market research in China. The company’s scope of business includes credit information, credit evaluation, credit information exchange, accounts receivable management and debt collection, credit management consulting and training in marketing analysis, consumer/customer research, partner selection, and competitor analysis. The company indicates that it offers these services to international clients. In the U.S., the Sino-US Commercial Group acts as this company’s consulting firm. The company’s services include: Credit Information Services--credit reports for China and overseas companies; Debt Collection Services--collecting debts through professional account management; Market Research Services--using government information resources, the company provides: a) Market Analysis (market surveys covering market development and structure briefing, market scope and growth analysis, market segmentation examination, customer analysis, distribution analysis, main supplier analysis, industry profitability determination), b) Consumer/Customer Research (both regional and nationwide consumer/customer surveys which help prioritize consumer/customer criteria and habits, specify the socio-economic and demographic profile of consumers, determine market scope and segmentation, rate new product's acceptability, and evaluate brand awareness), c) Partner Selection (collect sufficient corporate information, analyze and recommend partners, marketing, product, and distribution); d) Competitor Analysis (provides information on company profiles, strategies for production and pricing, market share and position analysis, performance, internal management structure, personnel policies, top management background, overall strengths and weaknesses analysis). This detailed website’s other links include a specific contact list by company division that provides phone numbers and emails, a direct email link, and a Chinese mirror site.
ChinaVista
(中国指南)
www.chinavista.com/business/consulting/index.html
The website indicates that “in partnership
with China's leading
business information providers, ChinaVista brings you the best
China business information and consulting services available today.” This
Xiamen-based firm’s services include: economic data: macro
and micro economic data, monthly statistic reports, city-by-city statistics
(specifically-China
Macroeconomy Database, China
Urban Statistical Database, China
1997 Economic Data & Statistics CD-ROM, China
Monthly Statistical Report); consumer behavior and advertising: four
databases
(specifically-Urban
Consumer Behavior, Urban
Income & Expenditures, TV
Advertising, Newspaper
Advertising) concerning income and expenditures of Chinese urban citizens,
urban consumer behavior, television advertising and newspaper advertising; market
analysis: industry sector reports, company and product data, securities
data and analysis, custom market surveys (specifically-Industry
Sector Reports, Custom
Market Surveys & Research Reports, Science
& Technology Market CD-ROMS , China
Securities Markets Consulting); commerce and trade assistance: China-based
company registration, document translation, company information searches,
business liaison services (specifically-Business
Liaison Service, Document
Translation, Company
Background Information, China
Company Registration (for foreign companies)). The homepage, www.chinavista.com/home.html,
offers the following links: a data base, updated daily, which gives a
comprehensive listing of business and trade information; a connection to
Chinese companies and products; business news including events like trade
fairs, exhibitions, customs information, statistics, and economic briefs;
online ordering for Chinese arts and crafts; a fairly broad search engine; and
travel information. Membership on the website appears to be free and entitles
subscribers to discounts on consulting services. The Chinese version of the
website is available in Big 5 and GB versions.
World Trade Data Base
The company’s main focus is to provide marketing
information and
media tools “necessary for success in the Greater China market.” Access to this website’s seemingly
extensive online database for trade leads and companies by name or product is
by subscription (which also appears to be free). The website provides a search
engine for this database, a select online list of companies and access to
summary information on them, a credit reporting service, information on
advertising in China including media companies and their addresses, lists of
exhibitions in China, and ordering information for CD-ROMs concerning
investment in China. Another link, entitled “news,” is still under
construction, while a second on marketing contains sparse details on this
topic. The overall website’s strength lies in the database to which it
offers access.
The China Business Group, Inc.
With offices
in Boston, New Haven, Shanghai, and Beijing, CBG has “an exceptional blend
of business, operational and technical expertise in China.” Services
include: development
and implementation of strategic business plans for the China market; partner
identification and evaluation; market, industry, and competitor analyses;
investment analysis; due diligence and feasibility studies; development and
implementation of sourcing strategies and sourcing organizations; distribution
channel structure and development; analysis,
design, and development of management and operational structures, including
recruiting, hiring, and training;
negotiation
strategies and implementation; technology transfer and intellectual property
protection strategies; site location for manufacturing operations and
corporate offices; and design
and development of government relations programs to create and maintain
support networks. In addition to a description of the company’s services,
the website offers links to summaries of different firm projects, current
programs, testimonials, and suggested reading. One final link provides access
to a free, subscription-based, online publication, The China Chronicle. This
publication is billed as “an innovative, entertaining look at issues of
current interest to foreign investors in China.” Topics that are available
include economic forecasts, information on the economy in China and its
currency, inflation, credit policies, investment, and the downside of the
economy. There is also an online inquiry form to contact the company at its
Boston headquarters.
Guangzhou Phoenix Consultants Limited
(广州市刨建咨
建顾问有限公司)
www.gzphoenix.com/index_e.html
This company focuses on market research and consulting, but also directs
its efforts into attracting businesses and capital into the China market.
The company is a joint venture
between a state-run enterprise and a Hong Kong firm. Headquartered in
Guangzhou, the company has liaison offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, and
Changsha, as well as overseas offices in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Tokyo,
London, and Paris. Consultancy services include: consultancy on
investment environment; economic and trade policies and regulations; assistance with investment project set-up and company registration
procedures; help with asset appraisal and joint stock system reform; and
advice on international risk fund investment for high and new
technology enterprises and projects. Market
research services involve: research on product marketing strategies,
sales channels, and competitors; feasibility analysis for overseas enterprises
entry to the China market; and feasibility
studies for foreign investment and technology transfer in China. The
company also offers business secretariat, communications, and
management services; help with registering companies in both China and abroad;
and overseas law consultancy and mediating foreign economic disputes.
Other links on the company’s website are as follows: a direct email link, a
list of the company’s achievements with client names and project titles, a
detailed list of the company’s shareholders, a brief description of the
company’s business principles, and a news link which is still under
construction.
United
Research China (致联市场研究有限公司)
United
Research China brings
together “some
of the most experienced market research professionals in China and several
distinguished overseas consultants.” According to the website, the company
originated from China’s
first market research joint venture firm and is the “first employee-owned
partnership of [a] market research practice in China.” The
company has offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai,
Beijing, Hong Kong,
and Chengdu. The company offers the following services: consumer
studies, concept testing, new
product testing, advertising evaluation, market
tracking studies, distribution channel studies, pharmaceutical
market research, brand image studies, lifestyle
research, retail/wholesale studies, industrial
(secondary) research, and other
ad-hoc/omnibus studies. Other links from the
website include a description of the company’s staff, an introduction to the
company, a news release link which is still under construction on the English
mirror site, and a detailed contact list by department combined with an online
inquiry form. The website promises a staff of international scope, but is
fairly limited in the information it provides.
Market Insight (佳景)
With offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, this company offers a
number of free links on its website. These free links include: information on
China (maps, demographics, useful links), an IT tutorial, and downloads
(company brochures, applications). Other links include press releases,
research on the high-tech industry, and information on the company such as its
staff, clientele, and services. The company’s services include: Quantitative
Consumer Research (provide
numeric-oriented answers to marketing questions), Qualitative Consumer Research (provide
in depth understanding of consumers' ideology/behavior and explore consumer
language for answering questions), Business Research (the most appropriate sources of information), and Product Sampling (promote awareness of
a client’s brand/product). There is also an online contact form accessible
from the website. Contacts for specific people are given for different cities.
The website offers a variety of information in addition to a very detailed
description of the company’s services.
All China Marketing Research
All China Marketing Research calls
its consumer research division All China Market Facts, Inc. (ACMF). According
to the website, ACMF is a joint venture between All China Market Research and
Market Facts (MFI). The company claims that it is “a leader in the Chinese
marketing research industry.” The company relies on a network
of agencies in over forty cities in China and has a
cooperative relationship with
the State Statistical Bureau. The website is one of the most detailed, clear,
and informative listed here. Links include accessible,
timely reports on market research in different industries in China; a list of
accessible free reports on market research in different industries and ways to
order other reports (such as market yearbooks and economic indicators) online;
an impressive online China database which appears to require an seemingly free
subscription; a list of publications; information on web conferences; a client
list and description; contact information; and job opportunities. The company
offers its own concept research, tracking research, and product testing
models. The company’s areas of expertise lie in concept
testing, product testing, concept and usage testing, consumer usage and
attitudes research, market segmentation and positioning, brand tracking, brand
equity evaluation, customer satisfaction studies, advertising research, and
store checking. The company also conducts Internet tracking research on a
daily basis. These services, as well as the company’s
research methods used to fulfill them, are summarized in excellent detail on
the website.
Asia System Media
This website indicates that Asia System Media is the publisher of the Chinese Yellow Pages which serves North America. In China, the company has two offices in Beijing. The company's services for foreign businesses in China include: market research; setting up representative offices, finding joint venture partners, or establishing a subsidiary in China; localizing company literature; and travel services. The market research services are not detailed online, but contact addresses and phones are listed for Los Angeles and Beijing. In Los Angeles, contact: ASM Overseas Corporation, 2530 Corporate Place Suite A111, Monterey Park, CA 91754; Tel. (323)526-0808; Fax. (323)526-1839; Email. asmusa@cbw.com. In Beijing, contact: ASM Beijing Office, Asian Games Garden Building No. 2-6A, No. 12 Xiaoying Lu, Chao Yang District, Beijing, China 100101; Tel. (86-10)64974451, 64974452; Fax. 64974872; Email. consultants@cbw.com.
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