Back from my trip to China

I’m finally home and back at work after a much-needed vacation.  I went to China for two weeks and had the wonderful opportunity to visit a variety of cities:  Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.  I actually found the best shopping in Suzhou, and Shanghai, and not in Hong Kong as everyone was telling me, but I think it depends on what you are looking for.  I came back with a lot of silk and pearls, Hong Kong stores have a lot of what I can find here in the states.

China was fun, the people were so friendly, and there’s a lot to explore.  If you ever get the chance to visit I suggest you take it, just don’t go in the summer.  It was 90°F and 95% humidity (no joke!) .

Although my trip was an immersion trip into the Chinese culture, I did find a little time to take some pictures of some their stores I found interesting when it came to visual merchandising. Both mainland China and Hong Kong are a mix of very modern stores that use the principles of merchandising and some stores have that flea market feel even though they are selling contemporary items.

Here are a few photos:

As I walked by I couldn’t believe how many mannequins they had in the front window, so I went in….

It wasn’t just the front of the store, but the entire store was “merchandised” with mannequins. They used no floor fixtures, it made the store feel very crowded and difficult to find what you liked on the mannequin.

Their men’s store a few doors down looked the same!

Here’s a different store in the same outdoor mall.  Besides the awful styling, it’s the position of these male mannequins that strike me as odd.  Men typically don’t stand like this!

This was a cute and fun store,and it looked good!  Cheerful employees add to the ambience.

This is why store branding is so important.  You can identify a store even if you can’t read the sign! (Starbucks)

This the corridor of one of the “malls” I visited in Hong Kong.  Yes, they do have malls like the ones we have in the US, but the majority of them in China look like this.  So if the malls are this squished, imagine what the stores look like……

 

 

I will never forget this wonderful experience and I am so grateful I got the chance!  Here’s me with my guide Lala in Beijing in Tian’anmen Square.  The entrance to the Forbidden City is behind us.