Zarina Kanji | Health, Wellness and Food in China

<p><strong>Topics Discussed and Key Points:</strong></p><p>●      Tmall’s International Women's Day</p><p>●      The most sought-after products among women in 2022</p><p>●      Trends in the food &amp; beverage space</p><p>●      Why there is more demand for sleep supplements</p><p>●      Health and wellness trends in the West that might make it to China very soon</p><p>●      UK and Nordic products that have captured the attention of Chinese consumers</p><p>●      What Gen-Z female consumers look for compared with their older counterparts</p><p>●      Differences between consumers across different geographies in China</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Episode Summary:</strong></p><p>Today on The Negotiation, we talk with Zarina Kanji. Based in London, she is the Head of Business Development for Health &amp; Wellness and Food &amp; Beverage Brands at Alibaba. She previously served as VP of Global Fashion Brand Partnerships at Lazada in Singapore.</p><p>Zarina speaks with us about Tmall’s upcoming International Women’s Day—a key event tied to the company’s Super Brand Day—on March 8, 2022. It has proven in previous years to be the third-largest shopping festival in the nation, behind 11.11 and 6.18, and is a unique opportunity for brands to engage with women across China.</p><p>From influencer parties to limited edition product launches, International Women’s Day, or “Queen Day” as it is sometimes called, is a celebration of all things female.</p><p>The five major trends predicted for this International Women’s Day are <em>inner beauty</em>, <em>beauty tech</em>, <em>probiotics </em>(gut health), <em>sleep supplementation</em> (which include the phenomenon of 朋克养生 or <em>pengke yangsheng</em>, also known as “punk health”), and <em>sportswear</em>.</p><p>With regards to food &amp; beverage, Zarina notes that China is rapidly becoming the world’s largest market for healthy eating, and especially healthy snacking. This trend, adopted primarily by millennials and Gen-Z, was largely spurred on by the COVI