ABSTRACT
With a consumer market of 1.4 billion people, China is a dream come true for many companies. As one business owner told us, “There are so many people out there, even if some of them just try [your product] once, you will do really well.” Maybe precisely because of this mentality, many firms do not take consumers’ long-term interests seriously and are solely interested in turning a profit as quickly as possible. This has created an environment in which firms employ any tactics imaginable (even unethical ones) to persuade consumers to buy their products while consumers constantly try to defend themselves against being cheated. This confrontational relationship based on mistrust is probably the most salient characteristic of the B2C market in China.
