Source | Kong Shou
Going global has been one of the hottest topics in recent years, with more and more companies turning their attention to overseas markets. In the marketing world, how to build a global brand is also a frontier topic. Although trade frictions and tariff wars occur from time to time, globalization remains an irreversible trend because the world economic system is deeply interwoven, and no country can isolate itself or thrive alone; those who go against the trend will inevitably suffer the consequences. China has a complete industrial system and a strong supply chain. Today, "Made in China" is no longer just a synonym for cost-effectiveness. The products we export are not only increasingly high-tech but also more fashionable and design-oriented, making them more competitive in overseas markets. On the marketing front, domestic companies are also very advanced in short-video advertising, live-streaming e-commerce, social media seeding, digital marketing, and user operations, with various tactics and concepts that are even ahead of overseas markets. With good products and advanced marketing methods, China is poised to see a large number of world-class brands emerge over the next 20 to 30 years. Therefore, brand globalization is definitely the direction for domestic enterprise development and advertising marketing research. What we need today is not just cross-border trade but truly implementing a globalization strategy and building global brands. But how exactly should we approach overseas markets? When the language is different, the culture is different, and we don't understand overseas consumers' needs and lifestyles, nor the sales channels and media platforms, and we are also unfamiliar with local living habits, cultural customs, religious taboos and beliefs, legal restrictions and compliance, many companies feel lost and develop a natural fear and unfamiliarity with going global. This article will discuss, from the perspective of scenario marketing, how to gain insights into overseas consumers' needs, deeply study their lifestyles and cultural customs, how to create more localized and targeted products for overseas markets, and how to implement communication and promotion for overseas markets to build a global brand. From the basic principles of marketing, no matter which market a company enters, it must first understand local consumers, deeply explore user needs, provide products that meet those needs, and then create communication and promotion that match local market characteristics and align with local culture and values. Consumer research is the starting point of marketing. In the past, our common method for consumer research was surveys, going deep into frontline markets and consumers' lives to observe, feel, and ask questions, using various questionnaires and focus groups to understand consumer needs in detail and capture their deep-seated motivations and emotions. This approach is time-consuming and requires significant human and financial resources, making it even more difficult to execute in overseas markets. Additionally, many companies' so-called consumer research relies mainly on internal staff's "empathy," assuming that consumers' mindsets, needs, and consumption habits are similar to their own, and that the company can grasp them. However, overseas consumers have different consumption concepts compared to Chinese people, and there are significant differences in decision-making behaviors such as media habits, purchase channels, and shopping methods. This makes it difficult to grasp their psychology and behavior, which is a major challenge for brand globalization. To address this challenge, starting from consumption scenarios is a practical approach. Scenarios are explicit, concrete and real in consumers' lives, while consumer psychology—the deep-seated motivations, emotions, and values—is implicit, not directly visible, and often elusive. Therefore, we need to use scenarios as a concrete carrier to observe consumers, as a window to understand consumer needs, examine their lifestyles, social relationships, and underlying cultural concepts, and use scenarios to bring to the surface the subconscious and unconscious parts hidden beneath the surface of consumers' minds. Let's look at an overseas case to understand this. In recent years, a product called the Cargo Bike has become popular in Europe and America. It is very popular and is also a hot topic in urban transportation. This is a reinforced bicycle designed to increase short-distance load capacity, using a specially strengthened cargo structure instead of a simple rack, with a load capacity 3-5 times that of a regular bicycle. Common designs of Cargo Bikes include front cargo boxes, rear racks, and tricycle designs with two front wheels and a low-center-of-gravity storage box. Whether it's large goods or multiple children and pets, they can be easily carried, with impressive stability, safety, and load capacity. Especially now with E-Cargo Bikes, which have electric-assist power systems, even with hundreds of kilograms of cargo, ordinary people can ride without difficulty and climb hills easily. They are truly suitable for both carrying people and goods, making riding easier and more effortless. (Source: Sohu News, "A Brief History of Cargo Bikes") In Europe, Cargo Bikes have become a common mode of transport on the streets. Germany is the largest single market in Europe. According to the German Bicycle Industry Association (ZIV), from 2016 to 2022, Cargo Bike sales increased from about 15,000 units to 212,800 units (including 165,000 E-Cargo Bikes and 47,800 non-electric models), with an average annual market growth rate of over 60% over seven years [1]. In 2023, Germany sold another 189,000 E-cargo bikes, a year-on-year increase of 14.5%. The Netherlands and Denmark are the spiritual home of Cargo Bikes, where they became popular early on. As early as 2015, Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, had over 40,000 Cargo Bikes, while the number of motor vehicles at the same time was only 250,000 [2]. In addition, in major cities in the UK and the US, Cargo Bikes are also experiencing explosive growth as traffic congestion worsens. The biggest use scenario for Cargo Bikes is family school runs. They can easily carry 2-3 children to school, and during morning rush hour, this is much faster than driving in a queue. Another scenario is family shopping. European and American families commonly have the habit of doing bulk grocery shopping at supermarkets, buying a week's worth of food at once. Several large bags of groceries are impossible for a regular bicycle, but a Cargo Bike handles it with ease, even carrying a whole case of beer. And weekend outings: Cargo Bikes can transport children, pets, picnic supplies, and even surfboards to parks or the seaside in one trip. (Source: 36Kr, photo provided by Luofandi) Another category is commercial scenarios, such as urban last-mile logistics delivery. DHL, the largest logistics company in the UK, now delivers at least 70% of its parcels by E-cargo bike, and UPS, Amazon, and others are also users of Cargo Bikes. They are actively deploying a "truck + cargo bike" logistics model in cities like London, Paris, and Berlin, where traditional large trucks first transport goods to the city edge or logistics centers, and then Cargo Bikes complete the "last mile" delivery. There are also mobile vending and service scenarios. Cargo Bikes can easily transform into mobile coffee carts, ice cream carts, flower carts, and street food stalls. For blue-collar workers and craftsmen such as electricians, plumbers, repairmen, cleaners, and gardeners, Cargo Bikes are convenient for carrying various tools and equipment when providing door-to-door services, and can also transport large furniture and appliances. (Source: Baijiahao "未着锦绣的侠士丹青") If we analyze using the use scenario and JTBD framework, we can see that for its users, the Cargo Bike is not just a means of transportation but also an essential small transport vehicle and micro-logistics vehicle for the home, undertaking the functional task of urban last-mile transportation. For many middle-class families in Europe, as urban traffic problems become increasingly prominent—annoying driving, difficult parking, and high costs—Cargo Bikes are gradually becoming the "second car" for families, a more convenient daily travel option than driving. They are more practical, efficient, and environmentally friendly, highly flexible in the city, and compared to cars, the ownership, usage, and maintenance costs are much lower, making them highly economical. In Copenhagen, a "city of bicycles," more than half of the people choose to ride bicycles to school or work, and over 25% of families with two children own a Cargo Bike. Cargo Bikes perform excellently in scenarios such as school runs, family shopping, and leisure travel, perfectly replacing cars for short- and medium-distance transport tasks. For commercial customers, many European cities have recently begun promoting "car-free" policies in city centers, setting goals to "push cars out of the city center," such as establishing "low-emission zones" where vehicles entering are fined (London, Brussels); setting monthly "car-free days" in the city center, prohibiting vehicle traffic during the day (Paris); and closing large numbers of motor vehicle parking lots and setting up restricted zones (Amsterdam) [3]. With these policy adjustments, logistics delivery in these major cities has quickly shifted to Cargo Bikes, which can legally use bicycle lanes, are unaffected by traffic jams or restrictions, and have no worries about traffic fines. Data shows that thanks to the shift in commercial delivery, the number of Cargo Bikes in central London increased by 73% in 2023. According to Transport for London estimates, by 2030, up to 17% of van mileage in London will be replaced by Cargo Bikes [4]. It can be said that Europe's commercial logistics sector is undergoing a Cargo Bike revolution. Moreover, Cargo Bikes are more efficient and cost-effective. A study shows that the average loading and unloading time for vans and trucks is 12 minutes, but the same amount of goods takes only 3 minutes with a Cargo Bike, significantly reducing delivery time. Zedify, a UK company focused on zero-emission logistics delivery, whose core business is providing delivery services to retailers and e-commerce platforms through an E-cargo bike fleet, has stated that compared to van delivery, its delivery model reduces carbon emissions by 92% and improves delivery efficiency by 13%, saving a significant amount in logistics costs, labor costs, and capital expenditure, potentially saving companies billions of dollars [5]. This is the fundamental reason for the rise of Cargo Bikes in Europe and America. Secondly, Cargo Bikes also undertake a large number of emotional and social tasks. The typical user profile of Cargo Bikes is middle-class families in Europe and America, with middle to high income, and two or three children. For them, Cargo Bikes not only improve life efficiency and freedom, freeing them from parking, traffic jams, and fuel prices, but also allow them to enjoy city life more easily and freely. More importantly, they can safely and conveniently carry children to school and outings, allowing children to have more exposure to sunlight and fresh air, avoiding long periods in cars, and enjoying a healthier life. Therefore, Cargo Bikes have become a status symbol for the new urban middle class. They are not just two-wheeled vehicles but represent a healthy, open, fun, and freedom-seeking leisure lifestyle with a sense of urban exploration, embodying a "post-automobile era" vision of urban life. In community life, they also represent a modern family value that emphasizes parent-child interaction and active participation in family and weekend activities, reflecting parents' love and sense of responsibility. Following this trend in Europe and America, Cargo Bike fever is gradually emerging in some high-tier cities in China, such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hangzhou. On weekends along the riverside avenues, riding a Cargo Bike with a delicate wooden box to take children or dogs for a ride, or carrying a full set of camping gear to a suburban park, is a cool and fashionable activity. Although Cargo Bikes are still extremely niche in China, mainly concentrated among specific circles such as expatriates, returnee families, and serious cycling enthusiasts, camping and family outdoor cycling scenarios are helping Cargo Bikes break out of their niche. This shows that Cargo Bikes are not just for grocery shopping and hauling goods but have become a cultural symbol. From a social perspective, Cargo Bikes are greener, lower-carbon, and more sustainable, representing a green, LOHAS urban lifestyle. For individual users, this demonstrates their environmental awareness and sense of urban identity and belonging. For commercial customers, they are also happy to use Cargo Bikes to showcase their green transformation, actively practice ESG principles, and emphasize that their delivery is clean, efficient, and localized, thereby better attracting local consumers. Through the above analysis, we can understand the deep-seated reasons behind the Cargo Bike craze. It reflects the family structure and lifestyle of European and American consumers, as well as Europe's deep cycling culture; it allows us to feel the shift in European and American social concepts and the rise of sustainable culture. This also explains the rise of Cargo Bikes in North America. Although the US as a whole is a "nation on wheels," when environmental protection becomes a mainstream social concept and reducing carbon footprint and emissions is considered the right thing to do, more and more individuals and companies are willing to adopt Cargo Bikes as a zero-emission mode of transport. At the same time, it also directly reflects Europe's traffic conditions and energy issues, as well as changes in urban transport policies. Many European cities, to alleviate traffic pressure and achieve energy-saving and emission-reduction goals, on the one hand, force corporate logistics transformation through restrictions and fees, and on the other hand, provide varying degrees of purchase subsidies and tax incentives for Cargo Bike buyers. Therefore, the popularity of Cargo Bikes is not accidental; it is the result of technological progress, lifestyle changes, cultural concepts, and policy guidance working together. In the article "What is a Scenario," I said: "A scenario is a slice of lifestyle and a manifestation of social relationships." Through the analysis of the Cargo Bike craze and its representative use scenarios, we can glimpse the lifestyles of overseas consumers, understand how they view themselves, their relationships with family and society, and precisely grasp the specific impact of the cultural environment and values on their needs and consumption behavior. In this way, we achieve consumer insight and provide direction, ideas, specific concepts, and forms for marketing implementation. Since the frames and accessories used by major European and American Cargo Bike brands are mostly supplied by the Chinese supply chain, suppose a Chinese Cargo Bike brand wants to enter the European market (of course, paying attention to Europe's high anti-dumping duties). How should it develop products and implement communication and promotion? For example, it could develop products around the core scenario of school runs, strengthening parent-child-related functions or peripheral designs, and develop communication content based on this scenario. For instance, compare the pros and cons of Cargo Bikes vs. cars for school runs during morning rush hour; tell the life stories of European and American families; or use parent-child relationships for emotional marketing. For outdoor leisure scenarios, it could organize offline community activities for family cycling, publish local Cargo Bike riding maps, recommended routes, and attractions; online, use KOLs to showcase short videos exploring the city and enjoying free slow living, linking to the green lifestyle of the new urban middle class; it could also design public welfare activities, using environmental concepts and social identity recognition for promotion. For B2B marketing targeting enterprises and small merchants, it could promote how Cargo Bikes can improve their work efficiency and reduce delivery time and costs. In fact, thanks to China's mature and developed bicycle and electric vehicle supply chain, many E-bike products in Europe and America are produced and sold by Chinese companies. For these cross-border trade companies, the production threshold for E-bikes is not high; products can be made by any factory, and they believe the key to success overseas is securing overseas channels and markets. But the problem is that many domestic E-bikes do not meet the needs of overseas consumers because the use scenarios for E-bikes in Europe and America are very different from those in China. What they need is not just a simple commuting tool that is cheap and cost-effective, but a pursuit of riding experiences in various leisure scenarios, with a strong focus on energy saving and environmental attributes [6]. Therefore, we need to pay more attention to user life scenarios to accurately understand user needs. Using scenarios as a carrier, we can more accurately examine the tasks consumers need to accomplish in their lives and grasp their specific needs and pain points for products. Upward, we can more carefully understand the group characteristics and lifestyles of consumers in a country or region, discern social trends and concept changes, and understand relevant government policies. Downward, we can also dig deeper into the social relationships of target groups, understand their cultural concepts and psychological world, and glimpse from scenarios who they want to be—what kind of self, what kind of parents, what kind of social citizens. Next, let's look at a specific case of a Chinese brand going global: Haidilao. Haidilao is a leader in restaurant going global, with overseas revenue reaching $778 million in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 13.4%. As of the end of 2024, Haidilao's international business subsidiary, Super Hi International, had opened 122 Haidilao restaurants in 14 overseas countries, including 73 in Southeast Asia, 19 in East Asia, 20 in North America, and 10 in Australia, the UK, and the UAE [7]. (Source: Super Hi International 2024 Annual Results) Restaurant going global also has significant market difficulties. First, consumers in different regions have significant differences in dietary tastes and taboos, so Haidilao first made localized adjustments to its menu and services for different markets. In the US, Haidilao removed offal products, offered personal hot pots, and introduced steak, burger hot pot, and fried chicken snacks suitable for local tastes; in Thailand, it introduced Tom Yum Goong hot pot; in South Korea, ginseng chicken soup hot pot; in Indonesia, oat milk broth to cater to local vegetarians. In Japan, it conducts seasonal marketing, launching "Sakura Crystal Jelly" and "Pink Bubbles" drinks around the cherry blossom season; in Singapore, it abandoned blood products banned by the government, introduced spicy milk hot pot, and offered Malaysian and Indian-style dishes [8]. To adapt to local food safety standards, Haidilao began establishing a central kitchen in Singapore in 2017, and now has central kitchens in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan [9]. On the service side, European and American consumers place more emphasis on personal privacy and social distance. Some services considered thoughtful in China may not appeal to overseas customers and may be seen as overly enthusiastic. So Haidilao reduced process-oriented interactive services, allowing customers to focus more on dining. In addition, special services like nail art, which were once popular in China, are not popular in the US; they may even consider them unhygienic, and in some countries, they cannot obtain approval from local food safety regulators or beauty service permits. Haidilao has made significant efforts to cater to local tastes and develop localized menus. However, for expanding overseas markets, these product and service adjustments are the most basic entry barriers. Although when entering new markets, Haidilao often targets international students and Chinese descendants as the first batch of target customers, and the first store is often opened in Chinese-concentrated areas, with mostly Chinese staff, to truly grow the market, Haidilao must ultimately find ways to capture the stomachs and hearts of locals. For locals, most don't even know what hot pot is or how to eat it, and they are not used to eating with chopsticks, preferring individual portions or separate servings. So at this point, Haidilao needs to think: what scenario best matches hot pot for local consumers? In what scenarios are overseas consumers willing to go to Haidilao? For example, in the North American market, American consumers place particular importance on celebrating birthdays and holidays, a scenario that reflects American culture, family values, and social concepts. So Haidilao has strengthened birthday marketing in the North American market, using social media like Facebook and Instagram to invite consumers to celebrate birthdays in-store, and offering birthday cakes and small gifts as hooks to attract visits. At the same time, it films the birthday celebration atmosphere, decorations, and service details such as table-side blessings and singing the birthday song, and amplifies these as short video content on official accounts. Although Haidilao does not offer services like nail art or shoe shining in the US market, the waitstaff will more enthusiastically host birthday celebrations for customers, with everyone singing the birthday song together. European and American consumers are relatively enthusiastic, cheerful, and outgoing, and this joyful atmosphere is very attractive to locals [10]. (Haidilao Thailand store) On the other hand, during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, Haidilao also vigorously conducts holiday marketing. For example, during Christmas, it launches a Christmas-themed product "Meat Christmas Tower," offers holiday recharge specials, holiday-themed small gifts, and free hot pot bases to attract customers and complete member acquisition; it also encourages customers to share their holiday memories in-store on social media, rewarding them with vouchers and discount coupons, thereby motivating user-generated content (UGC). When local media report on Haidilao, they also emphasize its holiday scenario narrative and entertaining dining experience. These point-order performances, table-side entertainment, and ritualistic services centered around holidays and birthdays not only create the customer mindset that "coming to Haidilao is like celebrating a festival," but also serve as content assets that can be filmed, shared, and spread, becoming an important driving force for Haidilao's breakout in Europe and America. Another example is the Southeast Asian market, which is not only one of the most populous regions in the world, with over 600 million people, but also has a high proportion of young people in countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, with a median age of around 29 [11]. Young people are energetic, love trying new things, and are enthusiastic about entertainment events like concerts. So Haidilao mainly uses nighttime scenarios for customer acquisition in Southeast Asia. For example, during the European Championship, Haidilao launched late-night snack promotions in Vietnam. For instance, in March 2024, global top singer Taylor Swift held a concert in Singapore, her only stop in Southeast Asia. Local Haidilao stores specially launched related merchandise during the concert to attract fans to check in, successfully catching a wave of massive traffic and enhancing brand awareness and influence. Besides Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang are also popular concert cities, with frequent music events. Therefore, local Haidilao stores create "Encore Party" (After-Party) marketing activities for concert scenarios. "Encore" comes from French "encore," meaning "once more," referring to the extra performance musicians give after a show at the audience's request. An Encore Party refers to many young people who, after a concert, are still excited and find another place to continue having fun and partying. So Haidilao, during concerts, adds concert-related amenities and late-night games in stores, providing glow sticks, sound equipment, etc., so consumers can listen to music and sing while eating hot pot. At the same time, to address the difficulty of hailing taxis after concerts end late at night, Haidilao provides nighttime shuttle services, "fishing" people from concert venues to Haidilao, making late-night hot pot a natural extension of the concert experience. For example, during Coldplay's Jakarta concert in November 2023, Haidilao attracted music fans to dine in-store by providing free bus services and promotional discounts, which earned great customer goodwill in Jakarta's poor traffic conditions [12]. This has even become a travel guide for Chinese fans going abroad to chase stars and watch concerts: "At Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, look for the Haidilao sign outside the venue; there are shuttles to various Haidilao locations in Bangkok." [13] The attention to and selection of scenarios reflect differences in consumer lifestyles across regions and also reflect differences in cultural concepts. Using typical scenarios in local consumers' lives, especially those that particularly reflect people's emotional and spiritual pursuits, to carry out marketing activities is an important step for Haidilao to integrate into local markets. According to Haidilao data, at its stores in the US, South Korea, Thailand, and other places, local customers now account for about 80%. In Vietnam, where eating habits are similar to China's, over 90% of store customers are locals [14]. References [1] "Europe's Most Potential Cargo Bike Market – Germany's Average Annual Growth Exceeds 60%!", Source: WeChat public account "唯轮网 (ID: wheelive)", 2023.11.27; [2][5] "Europe's Version of the Three-Wheeler Sells for 50,000 Yuan, Generating Tens of Billions in Sales in Germany | Going Global New Land", Author: Wei Wen, Source: 36Kr, 2024-08-21; [3] "Global City Observation – One-Way Streets, Roadblocks, and Restrictions: Amsterdam's Car-Free Vision", Source: The Paper, 2019-10-22; [4] "A Brief History of Cargo Bikes – Countdown to the Demise of 39% of Vans, a Green Breakthrough Carrying 300 kg: How London Uses a Two-Wheel Revolution to Reconstruct Urban Logistics (Three Parts)", Source: Sohu News, 2025-04-22; [6] "E-bike Going Global: Who Is Optimistic About the New Industry?", Author: Xiaguang She, Source: The Paper, 2023-09-04; [7] "Super Hi International Holding Ltd. 2024 Annual Results Announcement", Source: https://ir.superhiinternational.com/static-files/8d25f3c5-f585-41eb-9b03-fb597463294a; [8] "Haidilao Transforms into 'Overseas Hot Pot,' Opening 122 Overseas Stores! Exploring Haidilao's Localization Strategy for Going Global", Source: Digitaling, 2024-11-05; [9][14] "Haidilao: A Different Path to Going Global, Balancing Employees and Customers | A Letter Home", Source: Economic Observer Online, 2024-12-26; [10] "Haidilao's Wang Wanming: Let Foreigners Also Sing 'Say Hi to All the Happiness' | Going Global People 2", Author: Ma Yue, Source: Jiemian News, 2024-12-29; [11] "Chinese Food Going Global: Building a McDonald's", Author: Yuanmeihui Wang Yan, Source: Sina Finance, 2025-01-07; [12] "Haidilao's Popularity in Indonesia: How to Replicate the Methodology for Chinese Food Going Global?", Author: Going Global, Look for Shanhait, 2025-09-27; [13] "A Guide to Kpop Concert Venues in Thailand", Author: Douban user "丁禹兮", Source: Douban, 2024-05-01. 【Moving Toward the C-End】The 11th China FMCG Conference Time: March 16-18, 2026 Location: Chengdu, China