Swiss Centers unlocks Swiss-Chinese cooperation(3)

The role of "Customer Success Manager" can be regarded as a new position established by Swiss Centers for the CIIE. This position was created in 2024, with Guillaume being the first appointee. As the name suggests, a customer success manager assists Swiss enterprises in achieving success right from their initial steps into the Chinese market.

Prior to assuming this role, Muriset worked at the Swiss Embassy in China, primarily gaining insights into China from cultural and diplomatic perspectives. Upon relocating to Shanghai, he acknowledged that he was reacquainting himself with China from an economic standpoint.

Upon assuming his new role, Guillaume's primary task was to participate in the CIIE. His initial impression of the event was that it was large in scale and highly efficient. He was particularly intrigued by the fact that, thanks to the CIIE, the time for new Swiss products to enter the Chinese market had shortened from 12 months to just three months. Muriset remarked, "This showcases the vibrant business environment in China to Swiss companies, sparking their keen interest".

Leveraging the CIIE, Swiss Centers is establishing an accelerated access channel for Swiss wine brands in the Chinese market, offering comprehensive professional support from regulatory compliance to channel establishment. Since 2021, Swiss Centers has been consistently creating a "Swiss Wine Promotion corner" at the CIIE, aiming to enhance its penetration in high-end consumption scenarios in China.

Through conversations with clients, Muriset learned that the CIIE offers business opportunities to enterprises at various stages of development in China. "Companies attending the CIIE for the first time seek to understand the Chinese market and assess if their products resonate here, while those with repeated attendance aim to enhance their brand image, establish more partnerships and find more distributors," Guillaume explained.

From assisting four Swiss companies in participating in the inaugural CIIE to showcasing a record-breaking presence at the 7th edition with 24 exhibitors, 34 brands, and a 270-square-meter booth, the breadth of Swiss companies' participation in the CIIE continues to expand with the support of Swiss Centers.

After their initial participation in the CIIE, Swiss Centers established a Business Development Department specifically catering to Swiss companies in the consumer goods industry. "Among the clients we serve, a large portion are CIIE exhibitors, and their numbers are increasing," said Jin Yu (Yulia), General Manager of Swiss Centers in China.