2021

The situation of Chinese crafts in the United States

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As a commodity, the market positioning of handicrafts is in the more affluent people. The per capita income of the United States exceeds 30,000 US dollars per year, and the consumption power is the strongest in the world, so the United States has always been the main market for Chinese handicrafts. Today, with the rapid development of China's handicraft industry, how to further develop the US market is a concern of many Chinese enterprises, especially small and medium-sized private enterprises

Handicrafts have always been China's traditional export products, which used to be mainly exported by the state-owned "China Arts and Crafts Import and Export Corporation", and exports have been around $1 billion a year. The consumer objects of handicrafts are mainly the middle class and well-off families, the United States is the world's largest market, the strongest purchasing power, so the United States has always been the main market for Chinese handicrafts. The United States has 50 states, and the market of each state is larger than some countries, so entering the United States is like entering 50 countries, which deserves our great attention and vigorous development. In recent years, due to the self-operated import and export of many enterprises and the rapid development of the private economy, China's small and medium-sized private enterprises have become an important force in the export of Chinese handicrafts.

1. The situation of Chinese crafts in the United States

In the past, the export of Chinese handicrafts to the United States was mainly purchased by Hong Kong businessmen, Taiwan businessmen, and American Chinese businessmen, through foreign trade companies as windows. Chinese factories rarely go abroad to sell, and rarely set up sales points and branches abroad. Many companies have exported their products for two or three decades, but they are still unclear about foreign markets and end users. China's handicraft exports to the United States have also been in the stage of producing what to sell for a long time, and the products have remained unchanged for many years, lacking the need for international markets and the habits of American consumers to develop new products in a targeted manner.

In the United States, Chinese crafts are mainly distributed by Chinese businessmen, which are small in scale and limited in impact, and even inferior to Mexican and Indian crafts. Due to the withering of the older generation of Chinese and the westernization of the new generation of Chinese concepts, the distributors and markets of traditional Chinese handicrafts have a tendency to shrink. However, due to the low labor cost in China, some crafts that are beautifully made and can cater to the trend have a large market development space in the United States. For example, the oil painting decorations mentioned above are particularly promising for crystal crafts made of new materials and high technology, and Chinese crystal crafts account for more than 80% of the low-price market in the United States. If there are more Western, religious, and personalized themes in the selection, the grade is higher, the market will be larger and the profit will be higher.

It should also be noted that American handicrafts often refer to pure handicrafts, mostly produced by some family enterprises in the United States, which are small in scale and sold in their hometowns and surrounding areas. A few are famous, specializing in the supply of some boutique products. China's handicrafts, except for ethnic minority handicrafts, are mostly produced in factories of a certain scale, and they have considerable industrialized production ingredients, especially craft gifts.

2. Sales channels of American handicrafts and consumption characteristics of American consumers

The sales channels of American crafts are mainly small gift shops with an annual turnover of several million dollars, especially those located in various tourist attractions. Other sales channels include furniture stores, jewelry stores, florists, bookstores, greeting card shops, and galleries. It is also sold in some department stores and clothing stores.

In addition, some BtoC websites and catalog mail order stores in the United States also sell handicrafts and are growing rapidly. American consumers like crafts with new materials, new processes, and new themes, and they feel that it is cool to buy this novel handicraft for their own use and giving away, which can reflect the trend and personality. For example, many people in the United States like to buy Tibetan and Indian crafts for decoration, and Xinjiang and Mongolian crafts have also begun to be favored. Modern Americans are more practical and prefer multi-functional and practical crafts.

American consumers buy handicrafts mainly during tourist holidays, various festivals and personal anniversaries. They do not hesitate to buy items priced at $20-50. It is required that the product itself and packaging are more exquisite, and it is best to have a simple text introduction, which not only increases their own knowledge, but also can publicize to relatives, friends and classmates, explaining the peculiar and interesting aspects of the crafts purchased.

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The situation of Chinese crafts in the United States