Held in Shanghai, the China Daily-Use Articles Trade Fair is the flagship event for the household products industry in Asia, attracting wholesalers, distributors and buyers from departments and e-commerce stores across China and beyond.

CDATF 2020 in July was the first large-scale event for the houseware sector post COVID, filling 180,000 sqm of exhibition space with a dizzying array of smart and creative new household goods. It was a huge boost for the industry and a real vote of confidence in the enduring appeal of live events, attracting 90 thousand attendees. Meanwhile, those unable, or unwilling to attend in person could advantage of the entirely new ‘online department store’ curated by some of China’s leading hosts and influencers.

Broadcast on the video-sharing platform Douyin and social ecommerce platform Pinduoduo these live presentations generated significant social media integration, interaction and business opportunities. Key influencers including ‘It’s Yuxun, Yunhai’ and ‘My cherished sis, Siqi’ took to the Douyin live broadcasting room to recommend their onsite hot picks to their ten million social media followers. Elsewhere, in the Pinduoduo negotiation room, virtual attendees could participate in online bargaining, group-buying and a flash sale of products.

Smart technology was also employed at the show to help attendees optimize their time at the event. The CDATF WeChat mini program offered real-time information and a handy tour. Users could check the exhibition proceedings online, browse recommended exhibitors, get a feel for new trends of the exhibition, locate the exhibitors they wanted to meet and set up one to one meetings with them. The program also included a free, year-round enquiry function enabling users to make contact with suppliers they were unable to meet on site.

“Though COVID-19 recently prevented attendees from going out and making purchases, this event has more than managed to make up for lost time by fully meeting their needs and, in doing so, giving the industry, and our CDATF team, a much-needed morale and confidence boost” says Michael, Cheng, President, RX Global Greater China.