As Gen Zers spending big for white teeth, efforts up by Oral-B

Booming sales of power brush in nation attract more investment, participation

United States oral hygiene brand Oral-B, a sub-brand of drug giant Procter & Gamble, is stepping up its push to tap Generation Z consumers in China, which has been the world's largest market for electric toothbrushes since last year.

The move came as consumers born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s have become a fast-growing consumer group for Oral-B.

China has become the world's largest market for electric toothbrushes since last year. There is still huge upside to this market, given that only 10 percent of consumers are using power brushes today, said Vedran Miletic, president of P&G Greater China Oral Care.

"The (Chinese power brush) market is likely to sustain a high double-digit growth for the years ahead until a similar level of power brush penetration is reached in China versus the US and Europe," Miletic said.

He said Oral-B's business momentum in China has been strong. The brand has continued expanding its share for electric toothbrushes in China's e-commerce platforms through September, October and Double 11, the big online shopping festival last month, data from the Beijing-based market research company Venndata showed.

"During Double 11 of this year, we found that Gen Z has become our fastest growing consumer group," Miletic said. "Their demand for beauty and health needs, pursuit of new technology and choice of media and channels are different from consumers of other generations."

Oral B has strategically chosen to invest in social platforms like Douyin, Little Red Book and Bilibili to engage with customers in a deeper manner.

A survey by consultancy PwC on Chinese consumer profiles this year showed that Gen Zers are self-described as more "digital", "data-conscious" and "eco-friendly" than their more senior counterparts.

The young generation of Chinese are emerging as mainstream consumers due to their higher disposable incomes, as well as personalized and diversified demand in the market, said Bai Ming, deputy director of the international market research department at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

"Chinese consumers are leading the world in embracing new technologies and smart devices," Miletic said, adding the brand has received very positive feedback from many consumers on their experience with Oral-B iO, a brush that has a smart pressure sensor to guide users to apply optimal cleaning pressure.

Its new Oral-B app also provides 3D graphics and AI brushing recognition technology, which recognizes all areas within the mouth, guiding users toward 100 percent brushing area completion.

Eyeing opportunities from smart homes, a string of Chinese consumer electronics brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi have branched into the electric toothbrush market, and domestic oral care companies are also emerging as competitive players.

"Certainly, power brushes have become a very competitive category in China, with hundreds of brands being launched in recent years. This indicates that Chinese consumers find oral health very important, and that this market has great potential," Miletic said.

"Oral-B, as a professional oral-care brand, believes that its strength is rooted in the brands' DNA," Miletic said. "We also have a full line of oral care products, like toothpaste, rinse and floss, covering different price ranges to meet different consumer needs."

Oral-B has many suppliers, manufacturing operations and partners in China, which has helped deliver great continuity of Oral-B power brush supply for its consumers across the nation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

"In the future, Oral-B will continue to innovate in oral care technology to fulfill Chinese consumer needs, and we hope to bring more professional oral care products to consumers," Miletic added.