US companies finding niche markets

A man tries out the virtual reality (VR) shopping technique at Gateway' 17 held in Detroit, the United States, June 21, 2017. Gateway' 17, a conference held by Alibaba in Detroit on June 20-21, features presentations and breakout sessions aimed at educating attendees on what and how to sell to China, especially through e-commerce platforms, so that they can grow their businesses and go global. [Photo/Xinhua]

"Products have been so well received in China that it (has) accounted for almost 7 percent of our total yearly sales," said Cheryl Sullivan, Ocean Spray e-commerce director. "We enjoyed double-digit growth each year in China."

Mandy Xi, in charge of day-to-day operations for Ocean Spray's Tmall store, pointed out that data analysis from the store site, which is part of the Alibaba Group, enabled the company to shift marketing strategy more effectively.

"We now know who visited our site, what items are checked often, and how many visitors converted to buyers," she said, adding that the most popular product is the 48-ounce pack of dried cranberries now priced at 75 yuan ($11).

"Office women around the age of 30 tend to eat dried cranberries between 11 am and lunchtime－many of them we would consider healthy eaters," Xi added.