The word itself sounds a lot like Shanghai, the international city with a dubious reputation of its own… but that’s where the similarities end. Shanzai (山寨) – or ‘mountain stronghold’ in Chinese – has become something of a phenomenon, as manufacturers with the means to replicate name-brand goods have taken the art of making fakes to a whole new level. Many Chinese are claiming that it satisfies the need for a sort of social commentary that pokes fun at the lifestyles of the rich and infamous, and gives the common man something to smile about. In spite of all the news about China’s rapid rise to super stardom, the fact is that most people are quite poor, and there is an ever-growing gap between the haves and the have-nots that is making the need for some lighthearted humor very necessary. I don’t suppose I need to go into detail about the fact that there are various levels of social unrest making headlines these days, nor expound upon stories of a certain political party that is under tremendous pressure to keep a lid on things, in spite of its own major shortcomings… but let me just tell you – based on what I’ve personally seen in the past three years – that the average citizen is not really enjoying the fruits of double-digit GDP growth from the recent ‘economic miracle’ that everybody keeps talking about. Shanzai has become an expression of Chinese cleverness and ingenuity for the average guy, and while it was once frowned upon and snubbed as an attempt to do things cheaply and with inferior quality… times have changed.

“The shanzhai culture as a celebration of the DIY [do it yourself] spirit or as a parody to mainstream culture can add fun to our daily lives, however, we should remain vigilant against it as a justification for rip-off products.”

(Xinhua)

While there has always been a torrent of counterfeit goods coming from every imaginable source, there has never been such a keen interest in developing the technology to a sophisticated level of hacked-and-stacked merchandise that almost seems to be part of an elaborate joke at first glance. Take the much-celebrated Rolex A699 mobile phone, a sort of hybrid between a mobile phone, and… a Rolex watch.

This clamshell device not only looks an awful lot like the SAMSUNG 699 (hmmm…), but it also sports a positively fabulous Rolex-faced dial with gold trim on the lid. Of course, there is also a cloyingly discreet Rolex logo etched onto the body, and a host of additional goodies are onboard as well; FM receiver, camera, and dual SIM capability.

I swear I’m not making this up.

Another example of the tech-trickery that abounds is the ARM-based Apple lookalike that doesn’t even run OSX. This thing looks like an Apple, kinda feels like an Apple… but once you open it, you’ll find the Windows hot key on the lower left corner of the keyboard, and discover that it only runs Windows CE. Pleeez tell me this item hasn’t sold out…

While it’s funny to some, there are those (besides Apple, SAMSUNG, Rolex, and Microsoft) who aren’t having such a hearty laugh. This creates quite a headache for any companies that are trying to keep their market share, and presents some rather painful challenges to the companies that haven’t gotten there yet, but would like to do it the honest way.

“The Taiwanese National Communications Commission has kicked off a new initiative that will fine anyone trying to bring Chinese counterfeit phones into the country. Any resident of Taiwan risks a fine of up to 300,000 Taiwanese dollars (about $9,055) for bringing in five or more “shanzai phones,” as they’re known to locals, into the country. Taiwan will also levy the fine against anyone importing more than two “shanzai” cellphones through mail.”

(IntoMobile News)

As a Wholesaler, it’s important to follow this kind of news, because there’s a lot of hard times coming down the pipeline for us all if this results in import regulations and policies that are cost-prohibitive or needlessly arduous for the ones doing business. Being informed is the best prevention, and there are a lot of ways to research the topic for yourself, if you’re curious about how far some of the companies making rip-offs will go. Some are calling the shanzai craze a sham, and accusing those who are laughing along of encouraging counterfeiting, and promoting copyright infringement.

Of course, all of this begs the question: if the Chinese are capable of producing goofy lookalikes and rip-offs of branded merchandise… why don’t they just up the ante, and start cranking out world-class goods of their own? It would certainly come at a time when the world need some fresh talent in the pool, and it would perhaps create opportunities for the wholesaler and retailer to secure deals that would blow the doors off of the competition.

Meanwhile, we’ll all just have to wait and see. I’ll keep my eyes open for some more interesting fakes, but for now I saved the best in my cache for last… the Presidentially-endorsed Blockberry phone!

]]> http://www.toptenwholesale.com/news/wholesale-shanzai-culture-china-861.html/feed 0 http://www.toptenwholesale.com/news/buyer-seller-keep-best-customers-1230.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=buyer-seller-keep-best-customers http://www.toptenwholesale.com/news/buyer-seller-keep-best-customers-1230.html#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:18:28 +0000 Rueben Marley http://www.toptenwholesale.com/news/?p=1230 It’s funny to see how hard some businesses scratch, claw, and struggle their way to a sale… only to completely ignore their customer once the transaction has been made. Well, it’s not that funny if you’re the one on the receiving end of this kind of shameful customer service, but it happens all the time. In the course of doing business on a day-to-day basis, it’s often easier to just develop a pitch and spin it to anyone within earshot. Blithely casting a wide net is often the principle strategy on the Internet, and pretty soon customers start looking less like people with needs… and more like a series of streaming lines of numbers that swim in front of your eyes. One strategy that helps a lot is narrowing your scope to address the customers who are actually looking for you, and this can be achieved by utilizing fully vertical search tools like the ones on toptenwholesale.com or manufacturer.com, for the SEO-driven power-plays… but there are a few other things you can do, once your desired audience is looking to you for the next move.

Let’s face it; things are not as good as they were for a lot of companies these days, and you may be finding that prospective customers are strongly focused on downsizing and cost cutting rather than on expanding their business or acquiring the latest new product features in their industry. Companies that may have been in growth mode last year are putting projects on hold, reducing capital budgets, and paying renewed attention to cash management, and all of this seriously impacts the ones – like you – who are doing the selling. Protecting your investment and relationship with existing customers is crucial, and I’ll give you my three top reasons for this:

• They’ve already bought from you, and they’re likely to continue buying. This sure beats prospecting and marketing for new customers, doesn’t it?

• Your loyal customers are the number one low-cost source of referrals and networking opportunities. Period. If they like you, they will sell you to others.

• Feedback from a valued customer is more valuable than polls, surveys, and market analysis from questionnaires, online quizzes, and games.

Pretty simple, isn’t it? Most of this stuff you already know… but it bears repeating, especially when those dollars are becoming scarcer and harder to pry from people’s hands these days. Lack of easy to acquire credit is a reality too, and it will suddenly make cash availability a very important factor in leveraging a sale. It’s time for you to make a list of your best customers, and time for me to make a TopTen list of ways to protect your relationships with them:

• Provide Guarantees, and follow through with them. When you provide a guarantee, it isn’t because you’re simply making your site look legit and ‘official’ to those who browse it… it’s a way to let your customers know how and where to complain if they are not happy with your service. You don’t want this kind of news to circulate without your knowledge, so make sure to give the customer some criteria to judge you by, and if you are not meeting those expectations… then you will be the first to know, thanks to the guarantees you’ve put in place!

• Ask for Feedback, because people will endorse your business if they know it is good. Besides, if you don’t know what your customer thinks about you, your business, your product and your services… then you might as well throw in the towel. This is also one of the best ways to find weaknesses in your system, and to develop solutions to fix them.

• Now that you’ve got some feedback, it’s time to take it a step further and personalize your services for the customers who deserve it. This is not the boom era of 10 years ago, and you must give your best customers the terms they have earned by working with you. One-size fits all is only good for limited applications when you’re dealing with a valued customer’s loyalty, and if the other customers want to be part of that inner circle, then they’re going to have to work for it.

• Keeping in touch with your customers is about maintaining relationships. You didn’t really need me to tell you that, did you? Customers keep buying from you if you have a strong relationship with you, and if they trust you and your product or service. Keeping in touch means… keeping in touch! Don’t rely on faxes, emails, and automated responses with your A-list customers. Call them yourself. Visit them. Share a success story about one of the referrals they’ve led you to.

• While you’re thanking them for the referral, make sure to reinforce that kind of behavior by offering something special to show your sincere appreciation. Whether it’s a card, a bottle of wine, or an invite to an industry event, you will make a real impression if you show up at your customer’s doorstep with the sole intention of thanking them for something… without a sales pitch.

• A loyalty program might be in order, too. Try some strategies like offering preferable rates for loyal customers, bonus products or services if they have bought before, programs that promote multiple purchases (BOGO, volume discounts, etc.), points-accumulation programs… you get the drift.

• Find out and understand the switching costs for your customers. These often include tangible costs such as dollars, people, equipment, and procedures… as well as less tangible costs like potential business disruption or increased personal risk to stakeholders. If your customers are downsizing or under strong pressure to cut back on capital investments and find lower-cost long-term solutions, then you can be the one to offer the solutions to them before they come up with their own.

• Don’t assume that the other guys know what you’re worth. You may feel that you are doing great, and things couldn’t be better between you and your valued customer… until they drop you for another supplier. What happened? You didn’t ask, that’s what happened. Don’t be shy to get answers about how valuable you are to your customers, because they aren’t always going to give you that kind of ammo voluntarily.

• Take a hard look at how customers use your product or service offering. If customers consider you to be nothing more than a commodity, then you may be at great risk down the road. You don’t want to be dropped like a bad habit, without causing some kind of perceptible loss! Assess your product’s impact… how do they buy it, use it, dispose of it, or re-order it at the end the usage cycle? Can you dig in and link-up to the customer’s ordering and purchasing procedures? Can you offer some new and valuable solutions for replacing or recycling? Make ‘em sorry to lose you!

• Last but surely not least… make sure you are performing at the highest level to meet customer requirements, at least. This is a big topic in and of itself, and it’s really up to you to determine what your customer wants and needs from you at all times.

These tips should launch you on the right path, if you’re not already doing these things… and solidify your relationships with customers who are looking for a partner who can provide the best of everything that matters. Good luck, and grab another cup of coffee as you continue to Find it. Source it. Profit!

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