iAbrasive: E-commerce Overweighs Exhibitions

"As for the reasons for unfavorable effects of exhibitions, I suppose that there are two influencing factors. The first factor is the influence of the Internet."

Interviewee: Guo Keyun (right)
Position: Marketing supervisor of iAbrasive.com  
Company: Henan iAbrasive Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Official Site: http://www.iabrasive.com/

The China International Hardware Show in Shanghai New International Expo Center and the Yongkang China Hardware Fair were held successively in Sept. 2014. As a branch of the hardware industry, the abrasives industry also played a part. A large number of abrasives companies attended the two grand exhibitions. iAbrasive.com, an international abrasives trading marketplace, attended the exhibitions as an exhibitor and a visitor. Guo Keyun, marketing supervisor of iAbrasive, received an interview from http://www.momo35.com.

R is for reporter and Guo is for Guo Keyun.

R: I've learned that iAbrasive has attended both exhibitions, which must be rewarding visits. Would you like to talk about your experience?

Guo: Okay, I think that we have gained a lot. On the one hand, we have a knowledge of the latest trend and the latest technology and products of the abrasives industry from different angles. On the other hand, through the face-to-face communication with customers, we have gained a better understanding of the current situation of abrasives companies' foreign trade, as well as their hope and suggestions on our platform.

Seen from the scale and the number of abrasives exhibitors, we can easily come to the conclusion that many abrasives companies are still looking forward to more business opportunities via exhibitions. Efforts have been made to decorate the exhibition booths. Abrasives exhibitors also launched product promotion activities. Through communication with several companies, iAbrasive learned that most abrasives exhibitors felt that the effect was not as expected. The purpose for exhibitors still choose to attend exhibitions is to consolidate regular customers.

When it comes to foreign trade, most companies said that great attention had been attached to abrasives foreign trade due to fierce domestic competition, and that they had started to seek for new sales channels. Currently, generally speaking, the abrasives companies' foreign trade has three stages: some abrasives companies started the foreign trade early and have now found out appropriate channels to develop foreign trade. They have stable customers and are developing rapidly. There are also some abrasives companies in the trial stage. They have been experiencing multiple ways, such as comprehensive platforms, self-building websites, exhibitions, etc. Meanwhile, some abrasives companies haven't been involved in foreign trade business, but they are preparing for it. The above-mentioned three stages are in accordance with iAbrasive's Gold Member service.

R: what do you think are the reasons for the unfavorable effects of exhibitions in recent years?

Guo: As for the reasons for unfavorable effects of exhibitions, I suppose that there are two influencing factors. The first factor is the influence of the Internet. With the rapid development of the Internet, abrasives purchasers are accessible to information in various channels. The advantages of the Internet, such as fast, convenient, time-saving, and highly effective, become obvious. In previous years, large-scale exhibitions, such as the Canton Fair, many purchasers would place an order in the exhibition. However, with foreign purchasers decreasing in recent years, the quality is not optimistic. In fact, many foreign purchasers have had their purchasing done on the Internet. Some foreign purchasers contact on the Internet and meet at exhibitions, take samples to test, and place orders. Therefore, the prevalence of the Internet has a huge impact on the traditional exhibitions.

The second factor is the limitation of the exhibitions. According to iAbrasive research, part of the abrasives exhibitors have regular suppliers. The purpose for attending the exhibitions is to know more about the industry trends. Compared with developing new customers, exhibitions have become an important channel to maintain regular suppliers. However, there are thousands of companies in a comprehensive exhibition, so it is difficult for target customers to find a specific company. Therefore, the exhibition's effect is not as expected.

R: Concerning the current situation, what suggestions can iAbrasive give as a professional abrasives B2B web portal?

Guo: The original purpose of iAbrasive is to facilitate online trading of abrasives and abrasives products. Based on the current situation and our two-year experience of abrasives foreign trade, we have made the following suggestions for abrasives companies.

1. For companies that have developed mature foreign trade, they should develop new markets based on experience. At the same time, the product quality and price should be well-controlled to maintain regular customers.

2. For companies in a trial stage, multiple channels are suggested to find one that suits the company best.

3. For companies that have just started to do abrasives foreign trade, they should be cautious when choosing channels. The prevalence of the internet has made finding the correct information which is exactly what a company needs important. B2B web portal is a future trend.

4. According to a recent purchaser questionnaire conducted by iAbrasive, most purchaser attach more importance to product quality and supply capacity. Besides that, 80% of the purchasers prefer to cooperate directly with abrasives manufacturers. iAbrasive.com is such a platform that facilitate online trading of abrasives and abrasives products by connecting buyers and sellers from around the world. 

Copyright: iAbrasive.com--Abrasives & Diamond Tools Market