百思买水土不服 告别中国市场

进入中国五年的美国最大的电子产品零售商百思买正式宣布关闭在中国的九家零售自有的品牌门店,意味着百思买品牌正式告别中国市场.一家靠服务取胜的全球家电连锁企业为什么会在中国水土不服呢?

Electronics retailer Best Buy introduced many international electronic brands to Chinese consumers thanks to its global supply chain. It was also the first among electronics retailers in the country to offer personally tailored services.

But more than 80 percent of Best Buy's products targeted high and medium-end markets, and it's reluctant to offer discounts.

But, apparently, when it comes to good service versus low price, Chinese shoppers choose the latter.

"I came to visit the store very often, but seldom bought anything, because the prices here were too high, and I hoped they'd have some discounts, but they never offered them."

Besides that, many Chinese competitors found it difficult to understand Best Buy's way of doing business.

Li Yan is the store manager of Yong Le Electronics in Shanghai.

"For example, a television stand. In our stores, we wouldn't charge fees for a major TV accessory. But at Best Buy, you've got to pay for many accessories."

Best Buy was the very first foreign electronics retail giant to enter the Chinese market. But its expansion during the past five years had not been smooth. It only had nine outlets in China with six based in Shanghai. Most of them operated in the red.

Industry insiders say both internal and external factors caused Best Buy to fail in China.

Han Jianhua, Secretary-in-Chief of the Shanghai Electronics Business Association, says Best Buy missed the best time to expand its business in the Chinese market.

"The Chinese home electronics retail industry has undergone adequate and fierce competition. In Shanghai, nearly 90 percent of the market has been shared by the three leading retail giants, including Gome, Suning and Yongle. Together they have more than 160 outlets. The domestic market is developed and maintained through large-scale operation and low prices. "

Best Buy's global-supply-chain model also did not play well with Chinese consumers. For example, domestic electronics stores usually allow sales staff from different brands to promote their products in stores, but Best Buy only used its own employees.

Han Jianhua says this is the reason why many Chinese brands didn't want to work with Best Buy.

"If those employees were not trained very well about the details about different electronic brands, then their understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different brands could be very shallow."

But the U.S. electronics retailer hasn't given up on the Chinese market just yet. As early as 2006, it bought 75 percent of shares in Chinese electronic retailer Five Star to supplement its business in China.

While closing its Best Buy stores in China, the company says it will open 40 to 50 more Five Star brand stores to compete in the market. But the exact time of opening has yet to be finalized.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.