Marketing foreign interior design services in China

With China's accession to the World Trade Organization and rapid development of the country's economy, foreign design firms are seeking timely opportunities for market entry. However, unique features of the Chinese business environment and their impact on the design services sector remain unclear to many of these potential new entrants. The objective of this paper is to survey the interior design services sector and provide guidance for foreign firms that wish to enter this market. Several systemic problems pertaining to this sector are identified from interviews, which include two different standards for design fees, short design cycles and an inappropriate design proposal review system. Several transnational marketing strategies are proposed: establishing alliances with Chinese private design firms, and establishing long-term cooperative relationships with developers and contractors to provide focused services. However, a more competitive pricing policy is not regarded as a sustainable strategy for foreign interior design firms.