A $2 burger set, what could go wrong?

2 美元一套的漢堡包，還能有什麼問題呢？

What about some made-in-China burger?

中國製造的漢堡怎麼樣？

When it comes to Western brands in China, giants like McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, Apple, and Walmart are no longer the only household names in the country.

說到中國的西方品牌，麥當勞、肯德基、星巴克、蘋果和沃爾瑪等巨頭已不再是中國唯一家喻戶曉的品牌。

Despite a long track record of success in the China market, many foreign players have struggled to adapt to recent changes.

儘管在中國市場取得了長期的成功，但許多外國企業仍在努力適應近期的變化。

So, is it really the end of foreign brands in China?

那麼，外國品牌在中國是否真的走到了盡頭？

To look at how intense the battle is when it comes to foreign versus domestic brands, just look at China's coffee shops.

外國品牌與國內品牌之爭有多激烈，看看中國的咖啡店就知道了。

While Starbucks sells its lattes for about three US dollars, Luckin Coffee charges less than 1.5 US dollars.

星巴克的拿鐵咖啡售價約為 3 美元，而 Luckin Coffee 的售價不到 1.5 美元。

Part of the reason they offer such a huge price advantage is because their baristas only need to push buttons to make the drinks.

他們之所以能提供如此巨大的價格優勢，部分原因是他們的咖啡師只需按下按鈕就能製作飲料。

Luckin has more than 20,000 shops.

Luckin 擁有 20,000 多家店鋪。

In the first quarter of 2024, the Chinese coffee chain opened more than 2,000 new shops.

2024 年第一季度，這家中國咖啡連鎖店新開了 2000 多家門店。

Luckin's 2024 first quarter revenue reached 6.28 billion Yuan.

Luckin 2024 年第一季度的收入達到 62.8 億元。

Meanwhile, Starbucks has been struggling in China.

與此同時，星巴克一直在中國市場苦苦掙扎。

The Seattle-based giants has more than 7,000 stores on the mainland and opened more than 800 outlets in the first quarter of 2024.

這家總部位於西雅圖的巨頭在大陸擁有 7000 多家門店，並在 2024 年第一季度開設了 800 多家分店。

Their China revenue was 735 million US dollars over that same quarter, 135 million US dollars less than Luckin.

同一季度，他們在中國的收入為 7.35 億美元，比 Luckin 少 1.35 億美元。

If you think price is the only advantage Luckin has, think again.

如果您認為價格是 Luckin 唯一的優勢，那就大錯特錯了。

Using everything from luxury spirits to computer game characters, it aggressively markets its drinks by tapping into the latest trends in Chinese society.

從奢華烈酒到電腦遊戲人物，該公司利用中國社會的最新潮流，積極推銷其飲料。

Now it's not so obvious.

現在就不那麼明顯了。

The taste is more important.

味道更重要。

The price is similar to the price of other brands.

價格與其他品牌類似。

It's not obvious.

這並不明顯。

Because there are more coffee shops in Shanghai now.

因為現在上海的咖啡館越來越多了。

The special coffee shops in Xiaozhong are doing well.

曉鐘的特色咖啡店生意不錯。

It became really clear that they cannot keep up with China and what Chinese consumers want in terms of flavor and product and marketing.

很明顯，他們在口味、產品和營銷方面跟不上中國以及中國消費者的需求。

When people think about Starbucks, they think of a monolith.

一提到星巴克，人們就會聯想到一座巨石。

There's nothing special about Starbucks.

星巴克沒有什麼特別之處。

There is no new experiences.

沒有新體驗。

And coffee is not the only brand battlefront.

咖啡並不是唯一的品牌戰線。

Chinese entrepreneurs are also creating their own fast food chains, like this one.

中國企業家也在創建自己的快餐連鎖店，比如這家。

This is simply a knockoff of KFC and McDonald's.

這簡直就是肯德基和麥當勞的山寨版。

KFC is centered around Chinese elements.

肯德基以中國元素為核心。

But as with other domestic brands in China these days, price is certainly a feature.

但與目前中國的其他國產品牌一樣，價格肯定也是一個特點。

This burger set costs less than three US dollars.

這套漢堡售價不到三美元。

The emphasis on Chinese cultural elements points to another recent consumer industry trend.

對中國文化元素的重視也反映了近期消費行業的另一個趨勢。

There is definitely a rise in nationalism or patriotism.

民族主義或愛國主義肯定會抬頭。

People are showing a more obvious preference for domestic brands.

人們對國內品牌的偏好更加明顯。

I think patriotism definitely plays a crucial role in this consumer behavior change.

我認為，愛國主義在這種消費行為的改變中無疑起著至關重要的作用。

From coffee, fast food to apparels and consumer electronics, it seems that for every Western brand, there is a Chinese answer.

從咖啡、快餐到服裝和電子消費品，似乎每一個西方品牌都有一箇中國答案。

So what are Western brands doing to stay competitive?

那麼，西方品牌是如何保持競爭力的呢？

One move is to raise a price wall, a term that's all too familiar in China.

其中一招就是築起價格牆，這個詞在中國再熟悉不過了。

When you open an app in China these days, a routine fixture is the number of coupons it provides.

如今，在中國打開一個應用程序，它所提供的優惠券數量是一個例行公事。

And there's a term in China for what you can now order, poor man's meals.

在中國，有一個詞叫 "窮人餐"。

The poor man's meal is basically a meal set priced at a very low cost.

窮人餐基本上是一種價格非常低廉的套餐。

It has always existed.

它一直存在。

But when consumer confidence was high, no one labeled this menu as the poor man's meal.

但在消費者信心高漲的時候，沒有人把這種菜單稱為窮人的飯菜。

However, increased job pressure and this slowing economic growth, people have taken this self-deprecating humor by calling this cheap meal set as the poor man's meal.

然而，隨著就業壓力的增大和經濟增長的放緩，人們將這種廉價套餐稱為 "窮人的飯"，並以此自嘲。

China's consumer sentiment has remained low since the COVID-19 pandemic.

自 COVID-19 大流行以來，中國的消費者情緒一直低迷。

And the youth unemployment rate reached an alarming 18.8% in September 2024.

2024 年 9 月，青年失業率達到了驚人的 18.8%。

These figures have prompted Beijing to try and stimulate the economy by firing a policy bazooka, including slashing interest rates.

這些數據促使中國政府發射政策火箭筒，包括降低利率，試圖刺激經濟。

But even with fierce competition and economic headwinds, some foreign brands are not giving up and instead doubling down on the Chinese market.

但是，即使面對激烈的競爭和經濟逆風，一些外國品牌也沒有放棄，而是加倍努力開拓中國市場。

Fast Food Giant McDonald's, for example, opened more than 1,000 stores in China in 2023.

例如，快餐巨頭麥當勞將於 2023 年在中國開設 1000 多家門店。

The company also increased its stake in China operations from 20% to 48% in 2023.

2023 年，該公司還將其在中國業務中的股份從 20% 增加到 48%。

Other brands have also increased their footprint in China and some even managed to outperform their local competitors.

其他品牌也加大了在中國的佈局，有些甚至成功超越了本土競爭對手。

This is Sam's Club by Walmart.

這裡是沃爾瑪的山姆會員店。

And on a weekday, it's still quite crowded.

而在工作日，這裡仍然相當擁擠。

Unlike traditional supermarkets, which has a lot of name brands, the bread and butter here is store-bought.

與擁有大量名牌的傳統超市不同，這裡的麵包和黃油都是店裡買的。

And the types of goods available in each category are limited.

而且每個類別的商品種類都很有限。

According to Walmart, Sam's Club only stocks about 25% of the products carried by their local competitors in 2020.

據沃爾瑪稱，山姆會員店在 2020 年的庫存量僅為當地競爭對手所售產品的 25%左右。

The people at Sam's Club can focus more on the quality and on bringing the price down, which is the ultimate value they're giving to Chinese consumers.

山姆會員店的員工可以把更多精力放在品質和降低價格上，這才是他們給予中國消費者的最終價值。

I think it is true that people don't really want to pay a lot of premium in economic downturn, but the middle-class consumers also don't want to sacrifice on quality and food safety.

我認為，在經濟不景氣的情況下，人們確實不願意支付高昂的溢價，但中產階級消費者也不願意犧牲品質和食品安全。

This strategy helped fuel Walmart China's 70.7% sales growth in the second quarter of 2024 financial year, outpacing Walmart's global average of 4.8%.

這一戰略幫助沃爾瑪中國在 2024 財年第二季度實現了 70.7% 的銷售增長，超過了沃爾瑪全球 4.8% 的平均水平。

Sam's Club has nearly 50 stores in China and plans to open more outlets in second and third tier cities like Wenzhou and Zhongshan.

山姆會員商店在中國有近 50 家分店，並計劃在溫州和中山等二三線城市開設更多分店。

It is a rare sight in China where traditional big box supermarkets have been bleeding wet ink.

這在傳統大賣場墨跡未乾的中國實屬罕見。

These bricks and mortar supermarkets have been threatened by the growth of e-commerce platforms with domestic demand and because they often stock too many types of goods on their shelves.

這些實體超市已經受到了電子商務平臺與國內需求增長的威脅，而且因為它們的貨架上往往儲存了太多種類的商品。

So what do the ups and downs of different foreign brands tell us about the Chinese market today?

那麼，不同外國品牌的起起落落，對當今中國市場有何啟示？

I think the most important thing for the decision makers at foreign company is not to be too anxious about China.

我認為，對於外國公司的決策者來說，最重要的是不要對中國過於焦慮。

Like your decisions or how you feel about China as a market shouldn't be swayed by headlines, but you should be really having conversations with your consumers on what they want and what their aspirations are.

你的決定或你對中國市場的看法不應受頭條新聞的左右，而應真正與消費者進行對話，瞭解他們想要什麼，他們的願望是什麼。

But one thing is certain, this is a challenging time for both domestic and international brands operating in China.

但有一點可以肯定，對於在中國經營的國內外品牌來說，這是一個充滿挑戰的時期。

With consumer confidence still low, companies have their work cut out for them as they try to navigate fast-changing consumer sentiments and economic conditions.

在消費者信心依然低迷的情況下，企業要想駕馭瞬息萬變的消費者情緒和經濟形勢，可謂任重而道遠。

Anyway, it really is expensive to feed yourself these days, but after having this poor man's meals for two days straight, I think I'm having a bad case of acid reflux.

不管怎麼說，這年頭養活自己真的很貴，但連續兩天吃了這個窮人的飯菜之後，我覺得我的胃酸倒流得很厲害。

I don't think anyone can realistically sustain themselves with these meals alone.

我認為任何人都無法僅靠這些飯菜來養活自己。