Chinese expats profiting from Australian products

The trend of Chinese expats buying Australian products and sending them back home is growing as thousands are making small fortunes off the practice.

The ‘middle-man’ tactics are known as ‘daigou’ in Chinese, which translates as ‘buying on behalf of’ and one 18-year-old in Sydney is in hot demand with eager buyers in her motherland.

When Sherry Jia isn’t concentrating on her business degree, she is busy searching stores for the latest Australian products Chinese people are craving. 

 

Sherry Jia (pictured) is part of a trend of Chinese expats buying Australian products and sending them back home as thousands are making small fortunes off the practice

When Sherry Jia isn't concentrating on her business degree, she is busy searching stores such as Chemist Warehouse for the latest Australian products Chinese people are craving

When Sherry Jia isn’t concentrating on her business degree, she is busy searching stores such as Chemist Warehouse for the latest Australian products Chinese people are craving

Baby formula, Weet-Bix cereal and confectionery treats have all been big hits in recent years as Jia keeps up to date with the latest demands and posts them to her WeChat account.

‘They heard that Australian products are better than Chinese products and they want me to buy stuff for them,’ Ms Jia told SBS World News.

Now over-the-counter medicines and vitamins are sought after entities which Ms Jie continuously taps into.

WeChat is China’s largest messaging app and allows users to share ‘moments’ to its contacts, such as pictures and videos.

It has enabled thousands of ‘daigous’ to document and broadcast the array of Australian products that are on offer.

Ms Jia regularly buys up to $2,000 of products weekly, and is able to operate the business by herself, maximising her profits.

Baby formula (pictured) and Weet-Bix cereal have both been big hits in recent years as Jia keeps up to date with the latest demands and posts them to her WeChat account

Baby formula (pictured) and Weet-Bix cereal have both been big hits in recent years as Jia keeps up to date with the latest demands and posts them to her WeChat account

Now over-the-counter medicines and vitamins are sought after entities which Ms Jie continuously taps into

Now over-the-counter medicines and vitamins are sought after entities which Ms Jie continuously taps into

‘You just need to buy it from the chemist… and send the products straight from these Chinese shops, so you don’t need to have them at home,’ she said.

And Ms Jia is not alone, as the practice is gathering speed with now around 80,000 people sending goods to China.

Livia Wang, a marketing expert from AccessCN, says it’s a potentially a $100billion market that Australian firms can take advantage of.

‘The sky is the limit at the moment for Australian brands. The quality and the trust in Australian brands is phenomenal. Especially we’re seen as a very natural and clean country,’ she said.

The market is continuously evolving and long gone are the days where supermarket stores would be left empty because of Chinese demand.

Now ‘daigou stores’, which stock up on the most popular products, are popping up across major cities, where budding entrepreneurs can take their customers’ shopping lists and find what they need.

Ms Jia is not alone, as the practice is gathering speed with now around 80,000 people sending goods to China

Ms Jia is not alone, as the practice is gathering speed with now around 80,000 people sending goods to China

With such lucrative deals at stake, many have questioned why large Australian firms break into the Chinese market themselves.

But experts suggest setting up from scratch in China is a tedious and elongated process and often involves changing one’s product to fit in with their specific regulations.

Ms Wang also reveals the ‘daigous’ are a valuable asset to western companies and have become ‘very influential’ when it comes to marketing products.

Their products in the limelight through these Chinese middle-men comes at no cost at all for Australian brands. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk