In this episode of The Negotiation, we welcome Emmanuel Poupelle, WPIC Marketing + Technologies’ Director of Growth for Europe, to explore how European lifestyle and health brands can succeed in China’s fast-changing consumer landscape. Originally recorded as a webinar, there were so many incredible insights brought to the discussion that we felt it was well worth publishing as a podcast as well.
Drawing on his extensive experience advising international brands, Emmanuel explains why China’s evolving demographics, shifting consumption priorities, and increasing demand for premium lifestyle products have created a major growth opportunity. We discuss why Xiaohongshu (RED) is essential for discovery and influence, how Chinese consumers evaluate value and quality, and why European “heritage” brands still hold strong appeal.
From health supplements and personal care to mental wellness and outdoor products, Emmanuel walks through the most promising categories—and why brands need to lead with storytelling, lifestyle positioning, and an integrated service model to win in China. Enjoy!
Discussion Points
- What’s changing in China’s consumer landscape—and why this matters for European brands
- The growing influence of Chinese outbound travellers and Xiaohongshu (RED)
- Why lifestyle positioning and heritage storytelling are key to market entry success
- Which health and wellness categories are gaining the most traction
- How services, co-branding, and social commerce strategies can complement product launches
- Timing your entry: why summer is ideal for lifestyle and travel-linked brands
- Where opportunities remain wide open: supplements, clean beauty, mental wellness
What is The Negotiation?
Despite being the world’s most potent economic area, Asia can be one of the most challenging regions to navigate and manage well for foreign brands. However, plenty of positive stories exist and more are emerging every day as brands start to see success in engaging and deploying appropriate market growth strategies – with the help of specialists.
The Negotiation is an interview show that showcases those hard-to-find success stories and chats with the incredible leaders behind them, teasing out the nuances and digging into the details that can make market growth in APAC a winning proposition.