How can Chinese crafts develop the U.S. market?

Crafts as a commodity, its market position is in the more affluent people. The per capita income of the United States exceeds 30,000 U.S. dollars per year, and its spending power is the strongest in the world. Therefore, the U.S. has always been the main market for Chinese handicrafts. With the rapid development of China's handicraft industry, how to further explore the U.S. market is a matter of concern to many Chinese companies, especially small and medium private enterprises.

The content of my talk is divided into three parts. Let's talk about two views on the Chinese handicraft industry, talk about Chinese handicrafts and the American market, and finally talk about some opinions on developing the American market. In particular, how to enter the eyes of U.S. buyers, how to shorten the distance with U.S. buyers, and how to get U.S. buyers’ attention.

1. Chinese handicrafts should be classified according to market positioning. If someone asks the United States how many handicrafts are imported from China each year, I can only say with regret that I do not know, not only I do not know, and no one else knows, because there is no such statistics, It is not the customs of China and the United States, and the commercial departments of China and the United States that are not capable of statistics. It is because the meaning of "crafts and crafts" is too broad. It is often unclear from the product name to its market position that it is difficult to classify statistics.

China classifies products according to the classification of imported goods established by the International Customs Board. Of the 22 categories of this so-called HS code, the 21st category is artworks, collectibles, and antiquities, and is not a factory-produced artefact. Miscellaneous items in the category include sculptures and other crafts. The 9th and 13th categories respectively include the crafts and glass arts and the 15th class is the metal arts and crafts. Many handicrafts are difficult to find in the HS code and can only be classified as "miscellaneous". Therefore, it is difficult to accurately count the exports of Chinese handicrafts.

The U.S. Bureau of Statistics classified end-use imports with 5-digit codes. Among them, code 41310 is jewelry, 41320 is art, collectibles and stamps, and there is no special category for crafts. Therefore, most of the Chinese handicrafts are also listed in the “other” category, and it is impossible to accurately count the imports of Chinese handicrafts to the United States. For example, the vast majority of metal handicrafts that China exports to the United States cannot be classified as works of art. As hardware products are not appropriate, and they are not toys, they can only be counted as "miscellaneous goods" or "others."

Chinese arts and crafts can not have its own status in the commodity category of the international market. This is indeed an embarrassing and sad thing. The vast number of arts and crafts companies and practitioners have therefore been greatly affected, which also affects the development of the Chinese craft market. It makes people think that a product that is listed as "other" will not have much future.

However, as a method of classification by the customs and statistics departments, it cannot completely affect the market for handicrafts. The key is that the classification and naming of Chinese handicrafts should be in line with the market, and there should be a clear market position, which is not only convenient for distributors, but also for consumers. Attractive.

Why should Chinese craft products pay attention to classification and naming, and how should they be classified?

A product classification naming will involve three elements of raw materials, processes and uses, but most of the Chinese handicrafts only highlight the first two and ignore the "use" of the consumer's most concerned factors.

For a long time, some of China's handicrafts are classified according to raw materials used, such as metal handicrafts, ceramic handicrafts, glass handicrafts, bamboo handicrafts, natural plant fiber handicrafts, and some are classified according to production techniques, such as sculpture handicrafts, woven handicrafts, pumped embroidery handicrafts, and antique handicrafts. As a product, it can be called like this, but as a commodity, please note that I am talking about commodities rather than products, so that no market positioning and users can be found. Metal crafts in the end is a toy, gift or holiday supplies? Not sure. Is it a household product or a company product? It is not clear. Is it sold by a department store or by a gift shop or stationery store? The same is not clear. Anyway, there are no metal craft shops and counters on the market. Others such as glass handicrafts and woven handicrafts also have these problems. The above questions are not clear. How to find customers, develop markets, and increase exports? Some people say that these are gifts or festival supplies, so why not express it clearly? The naming of commodities is of utmost importance. The improper classification of products is a congenital deficiency affecting the market for product development. The vast majority of commodities on the market do not suffer from this problem, except that the issue of Chinese handicrafts is most prominent and needs to be changed as soon as possible.

We say that any product is produced for sale, has a clear purpose, and has a specific target market, buyer, or user. For example, for men's wear, women's wear or heavy equipment, for drugs, foods or health products, the use and target market are clear. What is the purpose of crafts and where is the target market? Most of the answers are vague. Crafts can be used as gifts, as holiday items or tourist souvenirs, but sales of gifts, holiday items or tourist souvenirs, sales time and sales targets are different. As a manufacturer, the products you make are prepared to target those consumer groups, and what kind of advertising words to use to promote your products must be carefully considered. Therefore, the clear market positioning of products, the identification of customer groups, and the classification by purpose of use are issues that cannot be ignored in the deep development of handicrafts.

Any consumer is the primary factor in the use of a product as a motivation for purchase. People buy a thing, first of all use, and then look at the money, the price. The raw materials and production methods used are issues that consumers care about, but they are often not the first concern. As a commodity, especially a consumer product, it should be classified and named according to its purpose. It cannot use the raw material and production process as the subject of classification and classification. For example, Western medicine cannot always be called a chemical, and Chinese medicine cannot be called a straw product. If the bag is called cloth products or leather products is also not acceptable. For another example, a gift is a type of product with a very clear use. It can also be subdivided into gifts for different purposes such as holiday gifts, business gifts, advertisement gifts, stationery gifts, and toy gifts. As a holiday gift, it can be further subdivided into Christmas gifts, Valentine's Day gifts, and Thanksgiving gifts. The market position of these gifts is very clear, of course, each kind of gift can be made with different raw materials and processes, but this is not the focus of consumer concern, raw materials and production processes are just the attributive in front of gifts and can not be used as subject . For some new materials and new processes can be highlighted, such as crystal or painting process, but the subject or use of goods, only known as crystal craft gifts, is complete and correct. Many Chinese handicrafts should be classified according to their purpose and market orientation, and they should be renamed and classified. Accurate classification and naming can attract corresponding consumer groups and effectively open up markets.

If classified by purpose, most domestic crafts can be classified as gifts, but gifts are not necessarily arts and crafts. Handicrafts are subdivided by purpose, as well as souvenirs, decorations, festive items, prized items, and daily furnishings. As a souvenir, it can be divided into tourist souvenirs, award souvenirs, etc. The classification and naming of knowledge is very large, requiring manufacturers, distributors, consumers to discuss and determine.

It is hoped that in the future, a new catalogue of Chinese craft products will become a selection guide for wholesalers and retailers in the United States.

2. Chinese crafts must have independent industry associations. What we talked about above refers to the general meaning. Handicrafts produced by factories do not refer to works of art or collectibles. Art works and handicrafts are different.

Works of art usually refer to collections that have appreciation value and value-added potential, such as paintings and calligraphy, jade carvings, and lacquer ware. It is made by master craftsmen and is often referred to as a work rather than a product. In the United States, prices often exceed 1,000 US dollars. The customer is mainly a wealthy fan or collector.

Handicrafts are more commonly used as consumer goods that have certain value-for-money and certain uses, such as various gifts, gifts, fashion items, or decorations, which are mass-produced by artisans or workers and are called products rather than works. The price is generally between 20-200 US dollars. The market or end users of handicrafts are mainly people with income levels above average, family or company companies. There are also handicrafts aimed at particular groups such as religious believers or tourists. Therefore, the more developed the country or region is, the bigger the market is, and the United States naturally becomes the most important target market for handicrafts all over the world. The main thing we are discussing now is crafts. It is not appropriate to classify art and crafts as a category, although high-end crafts can also be used as works of art, and some of the craftsmen's designers are also master craftsmen.

The production methods of arts and crafts are very different from market orientation. The development of arts and crafts industry is of great significance to increase employment in Chinese society, narrow the gap between rich and poor in China and promote social harmony. Some of China's townships are famous for their handicraft industries. For example, Jiangsu Donghai and Zhejiang Pujiang have become the “Crystal City”, and Shenzhen Dafen Village is “the first village of Chinese oil painting”. Dafen Village, Shenzhen, decorated oil painting exports tens of millions of dollars a year, a small village, more than some of the city's exports. Decorative oil painting has become the fastest-growing and most influential foreign product in the Chinese handicraft industry. It has also made corresponding industries and service industries such as picture frames, paintbrushes, canvases and oil paints develop accordingly, thereby enabling a large number of people to obtain employment. Many people So get rich.

At present, China's handicrafts, as an industry branch under the light industry, have not received sufficient attention in the country. They lack the research and design departments, professional publications, and media that promote the development of handicraft industries, and they lack the activities to explore market development. "China Light Industry Federation" below has a "Chinese Arts and Crafts Association", which includes jade carving, lacquerware, jewelry, flower painting and other six professional committees, mainly focusing on high-priced art boutique, rather than mass production of export of popular arts and crafts. Under the "China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industry Technology," ten professional committees including shoes, caps, bags, furniture, toys, and jewellery are established. These are mainly light industrial products and do not pay attention to crafts.

Therefore, to promote the Chinese handicraft industry, Chinese handicrafts should have a unique industry association and a large number of technologists who work closely with the company. There are more and more artists in China nowadays, but most of the artists start their own business in the form of individuals. The Chinese handicraft industry needs more technologists who design products for enterprises.