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Thursday 14 May 2026 8 T F W A D A I L Y understanding of consumer intent. “In the past, we often built consumer profiles based on age, city, spending level, and purchase history,” Li explained. “But traveller needs are highly contextual. A travellermay be researching before a trip, waiting at the airport, ormaking a last-minute decision during a vacation inHainan. AI can combine membership data, transaction data, content engagement, customer service conversations, and social signals to understandwhat the traveller really needs at that moment. At the same time, AI agents can help brands orchestrate engagement automatically: when to push content, when to offer benefits, when a sales associate should followup, andwhen to recommend products. This turnsmarketing frommassmessaging into amore personalised, timely, and natural journey operation.” A key message was that data helps us understand consumers, AI helps us express better, and creativity makes the experience memorable. “China has accumulated a lot of practical experience in private-domain operations, social content, refined member management, and AI applications,” Li added. “But these experiences also need to be connected with different consumer behaviours, channel environments, and brand operating models in global markets.” When Chinese brands go global, travel retail becomes the stage Brian Lai, Founder of Brandstar, presented fascinating insights into the power of China’s social media and digital engagement strategies. His focus was on the challenges and opportunities that travel retail and duty free channels present for Chinese brands specifically. “We tend to talk about travel retail as a channel for international brands selling to Chinese consumers – but the reverse is now equally important,” said Lai. “Chinese brands are going global, and travel retail is becoming a critical touchpoint for their internationalisation.” Lai shared his perspective on what this means for the industry: how Chinese brands approach overseas consumers differently, what content and storytelling strategies work in a cross-cultural retail context, and where he sees the most promising opportunities in the next three to five years. “The biggest shift we’ve observed is that Chinese travellers now arrive at the store with a decision already made,” Lai explained. “Platforms like Xiaohongshu (RED) and Douyin have turned travel shopping into purpose-driven consumption. Travellers research products, compare prices, read peer reviews, and even bookmark specific store locations before they leave home. This is fundamentally different from the traditional ‘browse and discover’ model that travel retail was built on.” What this means in practice is that brand awareness and product selection are now shaped weeks before the trip, not at the shelf. The role of social media is less about impulse and more about pre-trip conviction. “For brands, the implication is clear – if you’re not part of the conversation on Chinese social platforms before the traveller boards the plane, you’ve already lost the sale,” said Lai. He shared some invaluable advice for brands and retailers that want to leverage social media and digital ecosystems to create experiences that truly resonate with travellers: • “First, stop treating China’s digital ecosystem as a single channel. WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Weibo serve fundamentally different functions in the traveller’s decision journey. Xiaohongshu is where intent is formed. Douyin is where attention is captured. WeChat is where transactions and loyalty happen. You need a presence across all three, but with different content for each.” • “Second, invest in content that has genuine editorial value — not just promotional material. Chinese consumers, especially younger travellers, are highly sophisticated at filtering out advertising. What works is content that feels like a recommendation from a knowledgeable friend: honest reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, founder narratives.” • “Third, localise your digital presence before expecting results. This means Chinese-language social accounts managed by people who understand the culture, not just the language.” The TFWA Workshop: Market Watch China underscored how rapidly the rules of engagement are changing across China travel retail. From AI-driven consumer insight and social commerce to experiential retail in Hainan, the next phase of growth will be shaped not simply by transactions, but by brands’ ability to build relevance, trust, and meaningful connections throughout the traveller journey. Vince Li, Chief Scientist and AI Business Partner, DeepZero: “Travel retail is highly experience- driven. Consumers are not only buying products during a trip, they are also buying a sense of reward, memory, and self-expression. AI and data help brands understand what kind of story, content, and product will resonate with different travellers in different contexts.” Brian Lai, Founder, Brandstar: “Travel retail is at an inflection point – the old playbook of relying on Chinese tourist spending as a volume driver is over. What’s emerging is something more nuanced: Chinese travellers who are more selective, more informed, and more brand-conscious than ever before.”