Project overview
Initial Position
Curaden AG is one of the leading oral care brands in Switzerland. Curaden produces high-quality toothbrushes and toothpastes under the brand name Curaprox. Curaden has been active in the Chinese market via its B2B partner since 2015.
In 2019, Curaden approached Webrepublic, as it wanted to open an online store for the Chinese market. It was something that sounded simple at first, but brought its own challenges with it: the culture and language barriers and the complex digital environment in China all required special attention.
- Sector:Oral Health Care Industry
- Webrepublic customer since:2019
Goals
- Conveying expertise on the Chinese e-commerce environment
- Forming a dedicated Curaprox team in China
- Opening a flagship store on a Chinese e-commerce platform
“The partnership with Webrepublic didn’t end with entering the Chinese market – other projects are currently underway so we can define strategic milestones and synergies with other markets in Asia.”Steve Odermatt
Area Manager Asia Pac, Curaden AG
Measures
For this project, Webrepublic didn’t just advise Curaden on digital advertising; its support also comprised the areas of holistic digital marketing and business development in the Chinese market. Among others, some hurdles thrown up in the course of the project were:
- Establishing the brand as a high-quality “Swiss Made” one, instead of competing with established international players
- The specific and complex logic of e-commerce in China
- Establishing a local team in China
To overcome these hurdles, Webrepublic implemented the following targeted measures:
- A two-part workshop to convey general e-commerce expertise about China and share knowledge, such as how to build an online shop and the talent that is required for this – including a specific plan for Singles’ Day, the day with the strongest online shopping sales in China
- Conveying and coordinating intercultural communication between the team in Switzerland and the team in China
- Choosing the appropriate e-commerce platform (Tmall vs. JD) for the flagship store
- Evaluating e-commerce performance and developing new suggestions
Results
- Successfully establishing a new Curaprox team in China
- Opening the flagship store on Tmall in time for Singles Day, with a very good conversion rate of 19 percent
- Good sales figures on Singles’ Day, which took place only a few days after the e-store went live
“It’s not easy for a Swiss brand to dive into the world of direct-to-consumer in addition to a flourishing B2B business in China. Curaden trusted us to convey our knowledge of Tmall e-commerce and to build digital bridges to end consumers in China.”Adrian Wenzl
Director Performance Marketing, Webrepublic AG
