Cross-strait tensions no hurdle for Taiwanese shoppers – if the price is right
- Many Taiwanese shoppers are ignoring politics and including products from mainland China in their purchasing decisions
- Price, availability and functionality seen as more important than cross-strait tensions, even with relations at a severe ebb
When it came time to shop for a portable phone printer, Hsu Wei of Taipei sized up his options carefully.
After weighing the factors that mattered most to him, he opted for a Xiaomi model. As is often the case, it ultimately came down to price. He paid NT$1,600 (US$50) for the device – made by one of mainland China’s biggest tech firms – after comparing it to one by Fujifilm, the Japanese multinational.
“I looked at two brands and just made my move,” the 30-year-old consumer said outside the Xiaomi store, taking the paperback-sized printer out of its box to explain how it would connect via app with his phone’s camera.
When asked, Hsu noted tensions between the island and mainland China had little impact on his choice.
Taiwanese consumers like Hsu often buy gear from mainland China when prices are low and device efficacy is sufficient to satisfy their needs, a quality widely described as cost-performance value, or just “CP value”. If not, politics may intrude.
“Even though there are some geopolitical tensions, consumers in Taiwan still buy made-in-China products as long as they are of high cost-performance value,” said Hu Jin-li, a professor with the Institute of Business and Management at Taipei’s National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.