When European companies talk about digital innovation, they look to Silicon Valley. Understandably so: many standards that are now applied worldwide were set there. But while we look to Californian tech giants, a digital ecosystem has developed in China that provides radically different answers to the question: how do we shape customer experience?
The question is not whether we should adopt Chinese solutions one-to-one. The question is:
Which patterns of thinking and strategies work so well there that we should use them as inspiration for our own CX challenges?
What European companies can learn from China's customer experience:
China's digital ecosystems offer concrete inspiration for European CX strategies. The most important transferable principles are:
Integrated ecosystems instead of silos: Super apps such as WeChat combine communication, payment, e-commerce and services in a single platform – a counterpoint to fragmented European customer journeys across multiple apps and touchpoints.
Seamless commerce: The fluid transition between content, social interaction and purchase reduces friction. Livestream shopping and in-app payments are standard there, not an experiment.
Service-first thinking: Instead of product categories, Chinese platforms think in terms of customer services – this changes the entire CX architecture and makes solutions more intuitive.
Pragmatic innovation: Fast, iterative solutions to real customer problems instead of years of perfectionism – a mindset that also works under European compliance requirements.
These models cannot be copied one-to-one, but the underlying principles are adaptable and offer concrete levers for innovation for European companies.
The problem with our digital comfort zone
Many established companies in the DACH region operate within a familiar digital framework: proven platforms, established tech stacks, manageable innovation speed. This is not bad per se – but it does lead to a certain degree of operational blindness. We optimise within known limits instead of questioning those limits.
China shows us that there is a completely different way of doing things. Not better or worse, but fundamentally different. And it is precisely this difference that makes looking to the East so valuable.
What China does differently in the CX sector
Super apps instead of fragmented touchpoints: While we in Europe struggle with fragmented customer journeys – separate apps for banking, shopping, communication, mobility – Chinese platforms integrate all of this into a single ecosystem. WeChat is not only a messenger, but also a payment system, e-commerce platform, service portal and more.
Seamless commerce: The transition between content, social interaction and transaction is fluid. Livestream shopping, social commerce and in-app payments are not experiments, but standard.
Data-driven personalisation: The integration of services allows for personalisation that goes far beyond what fragmented European systems can achieve.
Of course, this works in a different regulatory and cultural context. Data protection standards, competition law and user expectations in Europe are different. But the basic CX patterns – how to reduce friction, increase convenience, think ecosystems – are transferable.
Specifically: What can European companies adapt?
The key is to understand the underlying principles and make them work for our reality.
Ecosystem thinking instead of silo mentality: How can we link touchpoints more intelligently? Where are we losing customers because they have to switch between too many systems?
Convenience over perfection: Chinese solutions are often pragmatic rather than perfectionist. Address real customer problems quickly and interactively, instead of spending years refining ideal solutions.
Integration of social and commerce: How can we enable purchasing processes where customers already are – instead of forcing them into separate shops?
Service first instead of product first: Many Chinese platforms do not think in terms of product categories, but in terms of customer services. This changes the entire CX architecture.
Dealing with cultural differences in the right way
Of course, not all structures can be adopted. Compliance requirements, cultural expectations regarding data protection, market structures – all of these differ. But that is precisely why the transfer is so valuable: it forces us to abstract patterns instead of imitating surfaces.
The question is not, ‘Can we do it the same way?’ The question is, ‘What problem does this solve, and how would we solve it in our context?’
Why now?
Customers' digital expectations are constantly rising. Those who rely on fragmented experiences, complicated user journeys and sluggish innovation cycles today will lose market share tomorrow. Not to Chinese competitors, but to European or American players who are learning faster.
Looking to China is not an end in itself. It is a tool for questioning and improving our own CX strategies. It provides alternative perspectives on problems we think we know all too well.
What this means for your CX strategy
Chinese CX patterns offer an alternative catalogue of models from which European companies can selectively learn:
Which of our customer journeys are unnecessarily complicated?
Where could we integrate services instead of fragmenting them?
What convenience standards do others set that we are measured against?
Where do we think in terms of products, even though customers think in terms of services?
These are not hypothetical questions. They are concrete levers for innovation that can be translated into roadmaps, prototypes and working solutions.
The most successful CX strategies are not created through imitation, but through informed creativity. China offers us a glimpse into alternative digital realities – let's use it to advance our own.
Interested in how specific CX patterns from China can be applied to your industry? In our webinar ‘CX Innovation – Inspiration from China’, we team up with China experts to show you which patterns work and how they can be adapted.
About the authors
Björn Ognibeni is a practical visionary and expert in innovation transfer from Digital China. For over 20 years, he has been guiding companies through digital transformations – beyond trends and hype. His focus is on translating complex technologies into actionable strategies. Instead of theoretical buzzword bingo, he delivers pragmatic classification, clear decisions and concrete results. Website: BJÖRN OGNIBENI 欧博洋, Practical Visionary.
Roy Voggenberger shapes digital transformation at Unic by turning ideas into effective business models that measurably move companies forward. His focus is on artificial intelligence: he translates complex challenges into clear opportunities and robust decision-making foundations. In parallel, he builds strategic foundations – from cloud governance to new fields of innovation. His approach is consistently human-centred, connecting technology with people, culture and sustainable impact.
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