— How a Business Negotiation Fair Helped Japanese Enterprises Preview China’s Market Potential
Background: A Commission from Tottori Prefecture, Japan
At the end of 2010, official representatives from Japan’s Tottori Prefecture contacted us through Japan Huashang Industrial Co., Ltd. They expressed their intention to organize a group of high-quality local food enterprises to seek reliable Chinese partners for product cooperation.
Different from the conventional “exhibition-first, client-later” model, Tottori Prefecture adopted a pragmatic and highly efficient cooperation approach. Once Chinese purchasers confirmed preliminary cooperation intentions, prefectural officials would fly to China the next day to conduct one-on-one business negotiations with prospective buyers.
Such extraordinary efficiency stemmed from its firm recognition of and determination to explore the Chinese market. Leveraging its resource database of over 10,000 food distributors built over years, Dacang’s platform Imported Food Network conducted two rounds of rigorous screening and finally selected 30 high-precision purchasers. All selected enterprises boasted rich experience in imported food distribution and extensive channel coverage, with clear purchasing intentions for Japanese products. Immediately after the buyer list was confirmed, Tottori’s official delegation arrived in China and paid in-person visits to every enterprise to verify cooperation directions and terms one by one.
Breakthrough: A Mutually Beneficial Negotiation Fair
Following targeted pre-event invitation and field visits, the 2011 Tottori Prefecture Food Negotiation Fair (Guangzhou) was officially held at the Garden Hotel Guangzhou on February 22–23, 2011. Led by official representatives of Tottori Prefecture, 13 local food enterprises attended the event, engaging in face-to-face business negotiations and gourmet tasting sessions with verified Chinese purchasers.
All participating Chinese enterprises were carefully selected professional buyers with solid experience and mature channel advantages in the imported food industry, including Yifan Food, Jiangshan Hongda, Chunwei, and oriental Clipper. Equipped with nationwide mature sales networks and channel resources, these enterprises had in-depth understanding of Japanese products and were capable of promoting the localized sales of Japanese goods across China.
The exhibition featured a wide array of premium Japanese delicacies, which could be summarized in three traits: exquisite presentation, refreshing taste, and premium pricing.
The showcased products featured unique local characteristics, including rich crab paste extracted from red king crab, pear vinegar and sparkling wine brewed from Tottori’s 20th Century Pears, aromatic Tanba black bean tea, high-purity edible collagen extracted from fish scales, century-old Japanese sake and shochu, award-winning coffee that topped Rakuten’s annual bestseller list for two consecutive years, and 120-year-old traditional Japanese kamaboko fish cakes. While all products delivered outstanding quality, their price points were undeniably high.
We raised a practical question to the Japanese entrepreneurs: “Your products are of excellent quality, but the pricing is relatively high. Will Chinese consumers accept them?”
Their answer left a lasting impression on us:
“We bring our products to China in advance not for immediate sales, but to gauge Chinese purchasers’ demand for Japanese goods. What we value most is the future of Chinese consumers.”
This statement reflected Japanese enterprises’ firm confidence in the long-term growth of China’s consumer market. They came not for quick profits, but for long-term market layout and strategic development.
Outcomes: A 90% Matchmaking Success Rate and Lasting Industry Influence
The negotiation fair achieved far beyond expected results:
• 90% matchmaking success rate: All 13 participating Japanese enterprises successfully secured prospective Chinese agents and cooperative partners, covering diverse cooperation models such as national general agency, South China regional agency, and import processing collaboration.
• High recognition from the Japanese side: The Chinese representative office of Tottori Prefecture Industry Promotion Association highly praised the event. It affirmed that the more than 20 Chinese enterprises arranged by Imported Food Network were all influential, powerful industry players with sound nationwide sales networks. An official thank-you letter was delivered by the Japanese side after the event.
• Subsequent cooperation invitations: Impressed by the remarkable results of the Guangzhou fair, the Tottori Prefecture government took the initiative to invite us to host similar negotiation events targeting China’s northern market.
Regrettably, the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011 triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster, dealing a severe blow to Japan’s economy. The supply chain was disrupted, market confidence plummeted, and the trade balance turned negative. Domestic trade priorities shifted entirely to post-disaster relief and supply chain reconstruction. The planned northern China negotiation fair was eventually suspended.
Looking back years later, the Japanese entrepreneurs’ remark — “We value the future of Chinese consumers” — appears even more insightful and forward-looking.
Case Insights
The value of a negotiation fair lies not in the number of immediate orders signed on-site, but in enabling both parties to perceive future market opportunities.
Chinese enterprises saw the premium quality and high pricing of Tottori’s specialty products at the fair; while Japanese enterprises foresaw a vast consumer market with continuous upgrading demand in China.
As a professional B2B platform, Imported Food Network serves as a vital bridge connecting cross-border businesses. From screening and inviting 30 targeted high-intent purchasers to achieving a 90% matchmaking success rate, this is far more than simple business connection. It embodies precise matchmaking capabilities built on in-depth industry cultivation and value resonance based on long-term cross-border trust.
Core Tags (Unified Standard)
Tags: Sino-Japanese Trade, Business Negotiation Fair, Precision Matchmaking, Market Layout, Cross-border Trust, Platform Empowerment
粤公网安备 44050702000243号
Administrator
No comments yet for this content