Potluck

Taking the Long Way Round: China Beyond the Bubble, with Olivia Plotnick

• Scott & Drago • Season 5 • Episode 5

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0:00 | 41:34

In Part 2 of our conversation with Olivia Plotnick, founder of Wai Social, we go beyond Chinese New Year campaigns to explore what's really happening on the ground across China — far from the Shanghai bubble.

Last year, Olivia completed something remarkable: a 60-day solo journey through 32 lower-tier Chinese cities, covering over 1,200 kilometres on foot, documenting retail transformation and consumer behaviour along the way. In this episode, she shares what inspired the trip, the methodology behind it, and the observations that have reshaped her thinking.

We discuss how China's super app ecosystem creates unique customer journeys, why physical retail is shifting from sales channel to experience channel, and what it means that Chinese EV brands and sportswear now dominate mall floors that once belonged to foreign luxury. Olivia also shares her observations on the rising influence of older generations in China — digitally savvy, travel-hungry, and quick to adopt AI.

Our listeners will learn about:

  • What inspired Olivia's 60-day, 32-city journey — and why she wouldn't do it the same way again
  • How China's super apps create customer journeys unlike anything in the West
  • Why stores are becoming next-level "experience channels" 
  • The rise of premium Chinese brands and what that means for foreign competitors
  • Coffee shops as indicators of economic health, domestic travel, and reverse migration
  • How older Chinese consumers are embracing digital platforms and AI tools
  • Why fostering a culture of curiosity - and resisting the urge to generalise - is an essential practice for brands in China

Follow Olivia and Wai Social:

www.potluckpodcast.asia/