Consumer groups aim to fill China demand; Product reviews help buyers make choices as market expands

In stark contrast to the days of the old planned economy, when Chinese were confined to a narrow range of state-owned stores and brands, "there has been just an explosion of choices for consumers," says Lubo Li, senior director for marketing and business development in the Shanghai office...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Wall Street journal Asia
Main Author Jason Dean and Mei Fong
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hong Kong Dow Jones & Company Inc 12.07.2006
Subjects
Consumers
Cooperation
Economic growth
Economic reform
Internet
Product reviews
Schools
Startups
Students
Study abroad
Web sites
Online AccessGet full text

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Summary:In stark contrast to the days of the old planned economy, when Chinese were confined to a narrow range of state-owned stores and brands, "there has been just an explosion of choices for consumers," says Lubo Li, senior director for marketing and business development in the Shanghai office of J.D. Power, the market-information unit of McGraw-Hill Cos. "The downside is that they're totally confused." The surveys ask participants to choose a response to such statements as "I would recommend this school or educational institution to a friend" and "The money I spent was worth it." Possible responses: "agree strongly," "agree," "don't really agree" or "really don't agree." Those taking the survey can also include their own comments on the school or institution. Lan Bin, a 24-year-old computer engineer, turned to the 6xue.info site recently in search of information on language schools and graduate studies, hoping to avoid the experience of a friend who had initially flubbed college scholarship applications because of inadequate and inaccurate data. He is pleased with his experience so far. "The information here is neutral," he says, "and we won't see any annoying advertisements" from schools or educational services.