After getting into China through cross-border e-commerce in 2018, the model reached cumulative gross sales of USD100m out there final yr.
In response to Derek Liu, CEO of Noromega, the growth of gross sales channels, notably livestreaming platforms, was the primary contributor to the model’s speedy progress in China.
“We wished to broaden to as many gross sales channels as attainable as a result of the Chinese language market is so massive, and there are such a lot of completely different channels, resembling e-commerce platforms like Tmall and social commerce platforms like Douyin,” Liu instructed NutraIngredients at Vitafoods Asia 2025 in Bangkok.
“In China, we have now round 150 employees working in advertising and marketing alone. One other channel that we utilized was offline retail.”
He cited Sam’s Membership, a subsidiary of Walmart that operates as a membership-only grocery store and is widespread amongst Chinese language customers, for example.
“It has greater than 100 retailers in China, the place many of the highest high quality dietary supplements are bought. We show our merchandise there and folks can scan a QR code to buy on-line.”
The model additionally positioned emphasis on shopper training, as the notice of well being dietary supplements remains to be comparatively low in comparison with different markets, with younger individuals shopping for gummies “for enjoyable” and the aged taking generic nutritional vitamins.
Whereas Noromega has greater than 20 merchandise in its portfolio, one among its methods for China was to give attention to pushing a couple of key ones, particularly its astaxanthin and omega dietary supplements.
“The rationale why astaxanthin sells greatest is as a result of we do many livestreamings of this product. Because the digicam reveals the livestreamer’s face up-close, customers can see the consequences [of the supplement] on the pores and skin clearly, so that they’d simply settle for it,” he stated.
“As Norway is a significant supply of ocean sources, its status for high quality merchandise provides us a bonus—Chinese language customers are readily receptive to Norwegian fish oil, which explains why our seal oil and fish oil collection do nicely out there.”
Similarities between Thailand and China
At present, 80% of Noromega’s income in Asia comes from China, which performs a major position, particularly when the corporate is increasing into a brand new market.
“Our funding [fund] comes from income in China. We’ve to make sure secure income so we will hold investing in different markets. Due to this fact, the size of growth in Asia is determined by Chinese language income,” Liu defined.
The model’s key markets embrace Norway, China, the US, France, and Spain, with plans to achieve a footprint in Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The Thai market, particularly, bears similarities with China, Liu stated.
“Actually the tradition and spending habits are slightly completely different, however China and Thailand have various market similarities. As an example, Thailand has many gross sales channels, resembling pharmacies, complement shops, and supermarkets.
“However the largest similarity is the proliferation of e-commerce—Thai customers use Lazada and Shopee like how Chinese language customers use Tmall and JD.com. They’re additionally lively customers of TikTok and Instagram, similar to Douyin and RED in China. So, I believe we will replicate a few of our successes in Thailand.”
As well as, Liu is assured that Noromega would do nicely in Thailand because the native customers are higher knowledgeable about dietary supplements and their advantages than Chinese language customers.
At Vitafoods Asia, the model actively sought distributors that would speed up its entry into the Thai market. In response to Liu, the response was optimistic, with potential prospects, distributors, and even influencers, displaying curiosity.
