(Yicai) Nov. 6 -- The sales environment in China changes very rapidly and adapting quickly and successfully to new sales models is vital to future growth, the general manager of Italian chocolate maker Ferrero Group’s China arm said recently.

Ferrero has been expanding into emerging sales channels, such as live streaming, in recent years to counter slowing sales in brick-and-mortar outlets, Zhang Suyi told Yicai before the sixth China International Import Expo opened in Shanghai yesterday.

It is crucial that Ferrero continues to perfect its online-to-offline business model to be as close to real-time retail as possible as this sales channel is developing very fast, Zhang said. Deliveries need to reach consumers within half an hour in order to satisfy their demand immediately, he added.

“The shift in shopping habits, particularly after the pandemic, is a big challenge for us as people no longer want to go out shopping,” Zhang said. People used to buy online for last minute purchases or for the convenience of it, but now the main reason why people shop online is because they don’t want to go out to the shops, he added.

China is one of Ferrero’s most important markets worldwide. The Piedmont-based company is taking part in the CIIE, which runs until Nov. 10, for the fourth year. And it will take an active part in upcoming online shopping galas, such as the “Double-11” shopping carnival.

Ferrero will continue to focus on sales through conventional physical stores, and in particular, partnerships with high-end members only stores, Zhang said. It is also exploring sales in convenience stores in China’s smaller second and third tier cities.

Ferrero's Shanghai office was recognized as a regional headquarters for a multinational company by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce in August last year.

Editor: Kim Taylor