Firms reaping benefits from online platform

This year’s China Import and Export Fair — including the 127th session in June and the current 128th session, both held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic — has pointed to a new path for companies to do international trade, said representatives of exhibiting enterprises.

Li Ni, deputy general manager of Deqing Dongrui Crafts, a manufacturer of home textiles based in Huzhou city in Zhejiang province, said the company reaped benefits in the June session of the China Import and Export Fair, which is also known as the Canton Fair.

“The success at the previous event lent us more confidence in promoting our foreign trade business through digitalization,” Li said.

He said conducting foreign trade online is an irreversible trend. 

“At the previous fair we successfully demonstrated our products to as many buyers as possible through the cloud Canton Fair platform. We got more information about our potential partners through active online interactions,” Li said.

The executive said the company had also conducted market research based on the information it collected online, which would help it expand new market channels.

He said through the online platform, the company obtained knowledge on new demands from clients, and has designed tailored products and services for various market segments.

“For instance, we developed textile materials with an air-purifying function to cater for customers’ need during the period of epidemic prevention and control,” Li added.

Jialian Textile Dyeing and Printing, another textile manufacturer based in Mianyang in southwest China’s Sichuan province, reported a 40 percent year-on-year growth in exports over the first three-quarters of this year.

Zhou Renli, marketing director of the company, said she is happy with the performance.

“We have adjusted our products according to the market information we obtained from various online platforms,” Zhou said.

“This year, we put emphasis on such textile materials as fabrics with an anti-virus function, better elasticity and better flame retardance. The products have brought us unexpected revenue and market share,” Zhou added.

An executive at Shandong-based Lida, an exporter of textiles, admitted the company suffered a drastic fall in demand during the first half of this year as many buyers halted operations.

“Demand began to recover and grow in the third quarter as more dealers resumed business,” the executive said. He added that Lida has launched a raft of products to meet new markets trends.

“We have made better use of the cloud Canton Fair to promote more new products to our clients and clients’ responses are very positive,” the executive said.