Chinese Brand to Know: Bananain
This is a series from our weekly newsletter in which we introduce a Chinese brand you need to know. Because 1) there are some seriously cool Chinese brands out there doing some great marketing and 2) we believe it can help you better localize your own marketing in China. Get the newsletter sent directly to your inbox instead of having to visit our website next time.
BRAND NAME
Bananain (蕉内)
CATEGORY
Fashion: Top performing clothing brand, featuring gender-neutral intimates and loungewear with bright colors and innovative "no skin-scratching labels." They have also expanded products to other daily basics.
PRICE POINT
Silk loungewear: ~ USD 150
Basic items like socks or tower: ~ USD 3-4.50
Popular items like underwear (pack of 3): ~ USD 12-13
Bras: ~ USD 15-30
Sun protection series: ~ USD 37-52
TARGET AUDIENCE
Men and women from Tier 1 & Tier 2 cities
Majority between ages 18-35
CHANNELS
WHAT THEY ARE DOING WELL
Competitive Edge. Lingerie is a competitive category, so Bananain began by carving out their niche in the men’s underwear category.
Innovation. Bananain is not just another comfy loungewear brand, they are positioning themselves as a "Somatosensory Technology Company" — using the science of sensation (how your body perceives texture and temperature) to create innovative fabrics, which in turn lead to eye-catching marketing campaigns.
Products respond to changes in consumer trends. Bananain takes basics to the next level by creating products based on consumers' situational needs, not the status quo. Through fabrics to help you sleep better, bras you can take with you on-the-go, clothes to snuggle with your pets in, outerwear that acts as sun protection and sustainable materials, Bananain puts 'consumer-centricity' into action.
Segmentation and continuous optimization. Bananain cleverly divide consumers into four groups; target circle, potential customers, new customers, and loyalty program members. They are continuously expanding brand influence and advertising efforts to reach the target group and potential customers, thereby steadily increasing the number of new customers. At the same time, via social and ecommerce platforms they put energy and resources into upgrading and improving the membership program by refining the journey from each dimension; new members, active members, and member promotions, so that loyal customers help the brand achieve rapid growth.
Work with the right influencers. Wang Yibo and Zhou Dongyu have been selected by Bananain as the star spokespersons, successfully attracting the attention of the brand's target group.
WHAT CAN OTHER BRANDS LEARN FROM BANANAIN?
1. Find opportunities for lower competition in your own category, and at the same time dare to propose novel market concepts, which are both in-line with the trends and refreshing.
2. It isn't only enough to understand your customers, but also must know how to reach, convert, and manage them through the entire journey across multiple platforms. The combination of dynamic marketing strategies and a sophisticated (always improving) membership mechanism will help a to brand grow steadily.
3. Out-of-the-box collaborations and creative ideas can be an effective way to generate organic social media buzz and build a dynamic brand image. Bananain worked with celebrities spanning two generations with different styles to launch their sun-protective fabric line mixing the concept of "cool fabric" with a well known Chinese summer cold food "Liangpi."
4. Always-on, always-engaging social content. Bananain seemingly never fails to push out quality content week after week. With catchy copywriting, trendy visuals and fun interactive mechanisms the brand is a master of social media. Check out their fun, interactive Chinese New Year campaign for 2022.
