China is changing the retail market in Australia

As Australia is expected to welcome more Chinese tourists in the future, mandarin skills may become a useful expertise for Australian students. In the past, Chinese skills were only confined to big miners or legal houses. Now, being proficient in the Chinese language may also prove be to be useful in another field: discretionary retail.

Tourists from Asia have recently become a significant source of income for Australian retail stores. As the domestic market faces a recession, store which aim at local residents are not showing such strong growth as those which embrace Asian customers.

Tourists from China come to Australia in search for the same things which attract visitors from any other country. However, they also crave for something else. Firstly, they are deeply attracted by the clean Australian air. Due to the deteriorating air pollution in China, more people who can afford a trip outside come to Australia to enjoy some fresh air. Secondly, Chinese tourists also prefer the shopping environment in Australia, where the prices are lower than in China. Furthermore, risks of bumping into counterfeits are far smaller than in China, as the relevant regulations in Australia are stricter.

This purchasing power of incoming Chinese tourists are leading to great changes in the Australian retail market. Retailers are hiring Australian-born Chinese who can communicate with the customers in their mother language. Australians with mandarin skills are also very preferable. This creates additional job opportunities for those who can speak Chinese, and the range of employment is still expanding.

This considerable growth of the number of Chinese tourists bring huge profits for the Australian retailers. But there are also uncertainties. The Chinese economy is slowing down, which may compact on expenditure of Chinese tourists in the future. For now, an economic slowdown has not yet influenced the passion of Chinese tourists to visit Australian retail stores.

On the other hand, the education system in Australia is not helping those students who want to study Chinese in college. Comparing with the students who speak Chinese at home, those who learn Chinese as a foreign language at school are at a disadvantage and thus get fewer options when they want to choose a college. However, some parents have realized the opportunities Chinese have brought to Australia and are trying to let their children know what is happening around them.

Source: the Australian

Photo: flickr