As a new way of business communication, the online Canton Fair saves time and costs. However, in the absence of face-to-face communication, traditional trust building and interpersonal relationship formation will be affected, and business negotiations may also lack real emotional expression. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the online Canton Fair.
Compared with offline exhibitions, the advantages of the online Canton Fair are:
1. Flexibility
Once the offline booth layout is relatively fixed, the “cloud” exhibition can accurately focus on the needs of different customers and provide targeted exhibition design.
2. No time difference
Chinese and foreign customers can find business opportunities and do business without leaving home. The “10 days × 24 hours” live broadcast service is open all day, and domestic and foreign customers can watch the live broadcast at any time to deal with time difference problems.
3. Large display volume
The exhibition volume of offline booths is limited, while online exhibits can be changed at any time, and it is not a problem to display more than 200 products online at one go.
Although the introduction of new online technologies has given the Canton Fair more space for display, it is undeniable that the online Canton Fair still has some shortcomings:
1. Immature technology
If it is the first time to hold an online Canton Fair, the software technology level is not mature enough, the server is unstable, and the login system is not optimized enough.
2. There is a sense of “unreality” online
The traditional offline method is face-to-face in-depth communication, and the possibility of cooperation between the two parties is higher. Online communication is carried out through the screen, which will produce a sense of “unreality” and make it difficult to promote transactions between the two parties.
3. Unreasonable resource utilization
For the first time participating in the online Canton Fair, many companies lack experience in online live broadcasting and do not know how to use resources reasonably, and the final live broadcast effect is not very ideal.
Can’t the booth fee be refunded?
Participating in the Canton Fair is a big burden for many foreign trade companies.
After years of development, the Canton Fair has formed a huge industrial chain. From a series of common areas such as certificate processing, food, accommodation, tourism, and urban transportation, Guangzhou’s GDP is about 4%.
The booths at the Canton Fair have been hyped up to high prices, with any corner costing 150,000 yuan. In addition to the expenses for decoration layout, manpower, and goods, the budget for a general company to participate in the Canton Fair is at least 250,000 yuan.
Few people can buy first-hand booths at the Canton Fair. Most of them buy booths through agents on the first floor, or even the second and third floors. There are many interests, and the deposit is basically impossible to refund.
Compared with offline exhibitions, the online Canton Fair has the advantages of flexibility, no time difference, and a larger display volume, but it still faces problems such as immature technology, lack of authenticity, and unreasonable resource utilization. It is a focus for exhibitors.