Japan Is Quality Favorite in China
China's consumers in both the city and countryside rank Japan as the top nation for quality consumer electronics and automobiles, with European Union countries not even in the top three despite a high profile, a national marketing survey shows.
The streets of Beijing and Shanghai are clogged with cars produced by Germany's Volkswagen AG and France's Renault SA, while Swedish and Finnish ringtones from Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson and Nokia Corp. mobile handsets peal across the land.
Yet Japan is still the most-favored nation among Chinese consumers when it comes to computers, electronic goods and automobiles, based on a national survey conducted by Hong Kong-based Asia Marketing Research Directions.
Japan edged out the U.S. and China in all three categories, ahead of other major manufacturing nations including the U.K., South Korea and EU countries, the survey found.
The survey was conducted throughout all mainland provinces of China, except Tibet, as part of a biannual sampling to gauge market trends beyond the big cities and into the country's rural heartland.
Almost a quarter of respondents ranked Japan as the best country for producing computers and consumer electronics -- ahead of the U.S., which received 18% of the votes.
In a country bursting with renewed national pride, made-in-China electronics and computer products ranked third in the survey, being favored by 12% of respondents.
In terms of quality of automobiles, Japan ranked first among 22% of respondents, ahead of the U.S. with 16% and China with 8%.
"We're pleased that we can offer vehicles that match the local people's needs," said a spokeswoman for the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
Trade figures supplied by the association suggest that the quality bias is translating into higher sales. Japan's auto exports to China jumped 45% to 139,807 vehicles in 2003 from 96,315 vehicles in 2002.
EU Chamber of Commerce in China General Manager Ian Kay said he was surprised by the survey results. But he declined to provide an official comment on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce.
David T. Bottomley, managing director of Asia Marketing Research Directions, said the survey didn't ask respondents for a reason for their preference.
But Mr. Bottomley said survey results suggest that some of the individual electronics and auto companies selling in China might have to rethink marketing strategies.
"It means that apart from the big three -- Japan, the U.S. and China -- other countries are facing a major perception barrier in China's developing markets," he said.
An Australian with 15 years of experience conducting surveys in China, Mr. Bottomley said Japan historically enjoys a positive reputation for quality and after-sales service compared with homegrown products.
He said it was the first time the question on most-favored nation was included in the survey. However, the survey didn't gauge whether people associated countries with particular brand names.
The survey results also showed that China's market is still far from saturated despite the quick uptake of new technologies such as mobile phones in major cities. A large proportion of people living in rural areas still don't own many of the products taken for granted by China's growing urban middle class.
The survey found that only 13% of rural residents and 24% of people living in the rural fringes near China's big cities own a mobile phone.
Similarly, only 3% of rural households in China own a personal computer or laptop, compared with 34% in major cities and 24% in the country's rural-urban fringe.
However, there is one area where rural residents outshine their city counterparts in terms of ownership -- motorcycles. The survey found that 34% of rural respondents owned a motorcycle or scooter compared with 27% in cities. This compares with 4% car ownership for both rural and urban respondents.
中国消费者认为日本产品质量最好
在中国进行的一项市场调查显示，日本因其高质量消费类电子产品和汽车被中国城乡消费者排名第一，而欧盟国家甚至没有进入前三名，尽管其产品质量较高。
北京和上海的大街上充斥著德国大众汽车(Volkswagen AG, VOW.XE)和法国雷诺公司(Renault SA, 12150.FR)生产的汽车，而瑞典爱立信(L.M. Ericsson Telephone Co., ERICY, 又名:易立信)和芬兰诺基亚公司(Nokia Corp., NOK)所生产手机的铃声也响遍中国。
但是，根据总部位于香港的Asia Marketing Research Directions在中国进行的一项调查，中国的消费者在电脑、电子产品和汽车方面仍然最喜爱日本。
该调查显示，在上述所有三类产品中，日本微弱胜出美国和中国，也领先于这些类产品的其他主要生产国家，包括英国、韩国和欧盟国家。
该调查的范围遍及中国大陆除西藏外的所有省份，每半年进行一次取样，其内容旨在评测大城市以外以及中国内陆农村地区的市场趋势。
几乎四分之一的调查回应者者认为，电脑和消费类电子产品的最佳生产国是日本，其次是美国，美国的得票率为18%。
中国制造的电子产品和电脑产品在调查中排名第三，12%的调查回应者认为中国产品最好。
在高质量汽车方面，日本排名第一，有22%的调查回应者认为日本汽车最好，其次是美国，得票16%，有8%的调查回应者认为中国汽车最好。
日本汽车制造商协会(Automobile Manufacturers Association Inc.)发言人在接受道琼斯通讯社(Dow Jones Newswires)采访时称，他们非常高兴能够提供符合中国人民需要的汽车产品。
该协会提供的贸易数字暗示，汽车质量的差异也会对汽车销量产生影响。
2003年，日本对中国的汽车出口量从2002年的96,315辆跃升45%，至139,807辆。
认知障碍
欧盟商会(E.U. Chamber of Commerce)总经理Ian Kay称，他对调查结果感到吃惊。但是他拒绝代表商会对此置评。
Asia Marketing Research Directions董事总经理David T. Bottomley称，该调查并没有向调查回应者询问喜爱某产品的原因。
但是Bottomley称，该调查的结果暗示，个别在中国销售电子产品和汽车的公司可能需要重新考虑其在中国的营销战略。
Bottomley称，这意味著除前三名的日本、美国和中国外，其他国家的产品在中国这样的发展中市场都面临著主要的认知障碍。
Bottomley是澳大利亚人，有著15年在中国进行市场调查经验。他表示，相对于中国本土产品，日本产品在历史上因质量高和售后服务好而享有盛誉。
Bottomley称，此调查中第一次包括最喜爱的国家这样的问题。然而，该调查却没有统计是否人们将国家与特定的品牌名称联系起来。
该调查结果还显示，中国的市场尚远未饱和，尽管中国主要城市的新型科技产品迅速普及，例如移动电话。
中国农村的大部分人口仍然尚未拥有中国日益增长的中产阶级认为理所当然应拥有的产品。
该调查发现，只有13%的农村居民，以及居住在中国大城市近郊24%的人口拥有移动电话。
同样，中国只有3%的农村家庭拥有一台个人电脑或笔记本电脑，而主要大城市的这一比例为34%，城乡结合部的这一比例为24%。
然而，农村居民较城市居民拥有量较多的一种产品是摩托车。
该调查显示，有34%的农村调查回应者拥有一台摩托车，而城市调查回应者中拥有摩托车的比例为27%。在所有城市和农村的调查回应者中，拥有轿车的比例为4%。
