Building on momentum: endota to reinforce presence in China with launch of Tmall Global flagship store in early 2021

The decision to widen its reach with a Tmall Global Flagship this year comes at yet another shift in the rapidly changing Chinese market.

For one, the COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the interest in wellness and self-care among Chinese consumers, as it has done in most parts of the world.

CEO Melanie Gleeson believes the firm is well-positioned to tap on the ‘top-of-mind’ relevance of health and wellness among Chinese consumers.

“We believe this has only accelerated the relevance of the beliefs behind endota, and we are proud our messaging has not changed. As we enter 2021, the continued emphasis on self-care, the importance of clean, organic ingredients for our skin, and clean packaging for our environment, resonates more so than ever.”​

Furthermore, with international travel grinded to a halt, the launch on the Chinese platform will help the brand reach the local consumers.

With China being one of the firm’s key growth markets, the firm intends to focus on its Tmall Global launch in 2021.

“endota’s goals for China in 2021 is to effectively launch our Tmall Global store, and to execute our strategy to continue our growth in brand awareness as well as our distribution. endota will continue to promote self-care and wellness into the homes of Chinese women, with many working ‘9-9-6’ whilst also caring and providing for their families.”​

Laying the groundwork

endota officially entered the Chinese market in 2018 with the establishment of its official WeChat account.

In the last two years, it has been steadily building its presence on the Chinese platform as well as Weibo and Little Red Book, also known locally as Xiao Hong Shu.

These platforms proved to be crucial for laying down a strong foundation for the company to build on.

“[In 2018], endota took the leap with the initial set-up our official WeChat account, to tell the story of endota and to drive brand awareness. Our brand awareness in China was pretty much non-existent then, so this became our focus: engaging a strategy to generate awareness and distribution locally,” ​said Gleeson.

She emphasised the importance of building trust between the Chinese consumer and the brand, which the brand did by emphasising on its key brand values as it engaged with its new consumers.

“All women want the best products, with certified natural or certified organic clean ingredients, delivered by a trusted brand. endota was founded on the guiding principles of wellness and self-care some 20 years ago.  We do not follow trends, as we live a certain way that is true to our belief.  This has led us to the services we deliver and the products we develop, and it’s the reason endota has become so trusted.”​

During this time, the company also kept a close eye on the Chinese market, which saw the rise of ‘diagou’ sellers and the rising influence of new social platforms such as Little Red Book and Tiktok.

The company has also taken part in local exhibitions and trade events including at the China International Beauty Expo, the Alibaba e-Commerce Expo, and the International Elite and Quality Brand Awards.

“A significant amount of research, including trips to meet influential women business leaders, as well as participation at top trade events, assisted endota to launch in China successfully,” ​said Gleeson.

“With everything in contention, we have grown in both awareness and sales, and we are proud to be launching our flagship endota Tmall Global store in January to further our journey [into China].”​