Victorinox returns to CIIE with optimism about Chinese market

Having experienced a successful debut at the China International Import Expo in 2018, Victorinox has returned to the expo this year with its signature Swiss army knives, backpacks and watches as it seeks to further explore the Chinese market and tap into its consumption upgrade, said Victorinox's chief marketing officer Veronika Elsener.

The company is also aiming to enhance the brand awareness of Victorinox Group and its two brands Victorinox and Wegner through more national-level exhibitions such as the CIIE, said Elsener.

"China has proposed building a new pattern of development in which the domestic circulation is the main body and the domestic and international double circulation promote each other. In recent years, China has accelerated supply-side structural reform and significantly improved the relationship between supply and demand. In the near future, China will become the largest and most promising market in the world," she said.

According to Elsener, young Chinese consumers aged between 25 and 34 are the brand's key target audience as these individuals "pay attention to quality of life and do not blindly follow big brands". To reach them, Victorinox has established a presence on online platforms such as Tmall and JD, citing the booming online retail scene and the impact that COVID-19 has had on offline retail.

This focus on online channels, added Elsener, has provided the company with agility and adaptability, which have translated into a significant increase in sales.