AFT Pharmaceuticals

How RLG helped AFT Pharmaceuticals become the first NZ-based pharma company to set-up an OTC Tmall Flagship store selling direct-to-consumers in China.

Company Profile

Founded in a New Zealand garage in 1997, AFT has since become a significant player in the Australian and New Zealand pharmaceutical market - being listed on both the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and New Zealand’s Exchange (NZX).

Their over-the-counter (OTC) and nutritional products enjoy wide distribution across both markets, and are starting to make inroads internationally. That’s where we come in.

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AFT Pharmaceuticals' Challenges

China’s regulatory environment can be complex and challenging for any new brand entering a new market, especially for a pharmaceutical company. Therefore, AFT needed a trusted partner that is well-versed in the ever-changing Chinese regulatory environment, to help them gain approval from trade authorities and to maintain strict compliance related to sales, promotion and shipping.

Additionally, AFT doesn’t typically sell direct-to-consumers in other markets, instead only selling through authorised retailers. The direct-to-consumer retail model for Chinese cross-border ecommerce also required a partner that can relate to and communicate with individual consumers on behalf of the brand, while maintaining strict compliance.

Solution

Our mission is to help AFT become the #1 seller of NZ-based over-the-counter products in China by organising and developing controlled, official B2C and B2B networks; raising consumer awareness through social media and direct-to-consumer engagement; and developing a direct-to-consumer sales presence on Tmall Global.

Here's a snapshot of our execution:

  1. SKU registration. We helped AFT register 27 SKUs for direct-to-consumer cross-border ecommerce.
  2. Digital launch. We set up, launched and continue to manage a multi-brand, multi-category Tmall flagship store, branded as ‘Kiwi Health’, that sells all 27 SKUS directly to Chinese consumers.
  3. Brand awareness. We opened official brand accounts on all major social media platforms including WeChat, Weibo, Little Red Book and Zhihu and continue to release high-quality educational content, which we amplify through influencer campaigns with Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOC).
  4. Customer service. We upskilled our team to answer health- and nutrition-related questions on CBEC platforms and on the question-and-answer stie Zhihu, while maintaining strict compliance.
AFT Pharmaceuticals Vitamin C Lipo-Sachets
AFT Pharmaceuticals Vitamin C Lipo-Sachets
AFT Pharmaceuticals AFT Pharmaceuticals Ferro-Sachets
AFT Pharmaceuticals AFT Pharmaceuticals Ferro-Sachets
AFT Pharmaceuticals Logo
Want to find out more?

If you are interested to discuss this case study or interested in how we may help drive these results for you please fill in the form below and we will be in touch.

Alternatively call us on 08 6444 1702.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Email*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Results

The AFT launch has been a stunning success.
Here are the highlights:

In just one year of entering the market, we helped AFT achieve
6 FIGURE
sales revenues in a challenging regulatory environment.
We secured approval and registered
0 SKUs
for cross-border ecommerce.
We helped AFT become
The 1st
NZ-based pharmaceutical company to provide direct-to-consumer sales in China.
We’ve built a following of more than
+0 
users, and growing, across 5 digital platforms.
We’ve created more than 700 pieces of content that achieved more than
+0 
impressions and more than
+0 
engagements.
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