Reflections on the Development of the Perfume Industry After the Canton Fair and Hong Kong Asia Pacific Beauty Expo:
After attending the 136th Canton Fair and the Hong Kong Asia Pacific Beauty Expo, I gained some insights into the current state of the perfume industry and also a deeper understanding of the outcomes of both exhibitions.
First, regarding the Canton Fair, the quality of perfume buyers seemed to be quite high. Most were legitimate foreign buyers, many of whom owned their own brands. Looking at the visitors to our booth, the majority of perfume buyers came from the Middle East and Africa, followed by Southeast Asia, with only a few from Europe and the U.S. In conversations, most visitors were attracted to our booth because we are a perfume factory, and they had more interest in customized fragrances than in ready-made stock. They didn’t show much interest in our existing perfumes, mainly because the sample selection did not meet their expectations. There were issues with how the products were arranged and the color schemes, and the bottle designs and fragrance longevity were more suited to Southeast Asian tastes. For European and Middle Eastern buyers, our bottle designs didn’t capture their attention. Despite having the same booth size and decoration as others, our perfumes appeared somewhat plain, as we lacked matching packaging boxes. Packaging and bottles should complement each other, but the single bottles on our display were too simple. In contrast, other booths had packaging that was a bit more elegant, enhancing the visual appeal of the perfume and drawing more attention. Additionally, most of our perfume bottles were smaller (50ml), but many foreign clients preferred larger sizes, something I particularly noticed at the Asia Pacific Beauty Expo.
However, the majority of visitors to our booth were interested in custom perfumes. They had their own brands, specific fragrance preferences, bottle designs, and wanted specific scent longevity. Many were drawn in by our factory’s promotional materials.
This exhibition taught me a lot. For example, when talking to clients, it’s important to focus on what interests them and highlight our factory’s strengths, such as our fast delivery and competitive prices. Establishing trust and showing sincerity is essential for leaving a positive impression. Another key takeaway is the importance of being confident when speaking with clients. Confidence comes from understanding our products and believing in their quality. When discussing our perfumes, we need to reassure clients by answering their concerns clearly and showing that we have the expertise and confidence to meet their needs. Improving our own knowledge of the products will also make conversations smoother and more professional, which is essential to keeping clients engaged. If we make them wait too long or seem uncertain, they may lose interest and leave. Effective communication lays the foundation for progressing to the next step in business negotiations.
Another important issue that came up was quoting prices on the spot. Many clients wanted to know prices immediately for both ready-made perfumes (Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum) and customized fragrances. The first step is to clarify if they’re interested in custom products, then price accordingly. Pricing should be balanced—too low and the factory might lose money, too high and the client may lose interest. Knowing the client’s country is also important, as it allows for more accurate pricing. It’s crucial to collect business cards and contact details, like phone numbers and emails, to stay in touch. Many clients only added us on WeChat or WhatsApp, but WeChat responses were generally slower, and sending multiple messages yielded only a few replies.
In the end, we collected the customer information we expected, but the real challenge lies in following up. Many clients only had brief conversations and exchanged contact details, and they may not remember us afterward.
At the Hong Kong Asia Pacific Beauty Expo, the results were far less impressive than at the Canton Fair. Over the three days, most of the visitors seemed to be from Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries, with very few from Europe or the Middle East. Across from our booth was a perfume display from Dubai, and nearby was a booth from Guangdong. When comparing the products and sample selection, our booth didn’t stand out much. Other perfume displays, like those from Dubai, had fragrances and bottle designs that better appealed to international clients. Their packaging was quite similar to ours but was arranged in a more appealing and elegant way, with a larger variety of samples. Our booth, on the other hand, lacked attention to detail in packaging, with many makeshift labels and damaged packaging, which made the display less attractive. We also didn’t seem to attract many serious buyers. Most visitors were local traders, particularly from Guangdong, looking to purchase products for resale abroad. There were very few legitimate perfume buyers at the exhibition. Overall, the quality of the visitors seemed lower than at the Canton Fair.