The document discusses trends in China for 2012, including the growth of gamification and social gaming, the rise of mobile e-commerce through QR codes, the increasing popularity of online reviews, the use of social media like Weibo to discuss sports, and merging physical toys with virtual tablet platforms. It encourages keeping an eye on these trends to engage with customers in China.

1. Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.

2. 1. GAMIFICATION
Gamification + Community Building = Brand
Engagement
You’ve all heard of Facebook’s Farmville
and the 50+ million people that play it
every day…
BUT
Did you know Sina Weibo launched its
gaming portal in July 2011 and already
counts 22 million active game users?
Keep your eyes open in 2012. China’s here
to work hard and play hard.
Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.

3. 2. QR CODES
Shopping anywhere, anytime
After Tesco in South Korea overtook all its
competitors in just a few months with the
introduction of QR codes, it was only a
matter of time before China’s e-commerce
giant ‘YiHaoDian’ introduced subway-
based virtual supermarket shopping.
By scanning the QR code with a
Smartphone, busy Chinese workers can
make the most of the waiting time during
their commute by grocery shopping.
Expect mobile e-commerce to take over
China in 2012.
Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.

4. 3. ONLINE REVIEWS
One good review beats a thousand ads
2011 saw the online travel rating site
TripAdvisor hitting 50 million reviews. Pretty
big result, but what was going on in China at
the same time?
With local review sites like:
Douban (music, books, movies) 56 million
users
DianPing (restaurants) 42 million users
We can only imagine how big online
reviewing is going to get.
Plus, Chinese people love to comment on
absolutely anything and everything, they need
no encouragement.
Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.

5. 4. SOCIALIZING SPORTS
2012: Rise of the Chinese football empire?
It’s now clear to sports fans from across the world that all
signs point to a great year for Chinese football, especially
with the big money takeover of Shanghai Shenhua FC,
attracting Premier League stars such as Nic Anelka.
Can you guess what the biggest source of information for
them is going to be?
You got it: Weibo.
The speed and ease of delivery makes Weibo the perfect
platform to discuss sports news, it has what we like to call:
the Share-Factor. The owner of Shanghai Shenhua FC
already has over 4 million followers!
With the Summer London Olympics, there’s definitely
much more to come with social media and sports.
Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.

6. 5. TOYS FOR TABLETS
When Barbie becomes vintage….
Apple stated that in 2011 they sold every
single iPad they could produce. It was only a
matter of time before the tablet became a
trend for both the elderly and the young.
In a country where mothers, with increasing
disposable incomes, are only allowed one
child, there is no doubt that merging real
life toys with virtual platforms is going to
be one of the 2012 mega-trends.
After all, the youngest Chinese generation
are known as the little emperors.
Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.

7. Thank You
Melbourne +61 3 8844 5552 / www.mailmangroup.com / info@mailmangroup.com
CONNECTING YOU WITH CHINESE CUSTOMERS. GLOBALLY.
© 2012 MAILMAN CO. LTD.