In our continuing cooperation with the Office of English as the Second Official Language in Tainan we were invited to check out some of the work that the Economic Development Bureau has been doing.
There were five stores in particular that had done a lot of effort to include English in their store marketing.
So on 12/9 we headed off to Tainan City proper to see what had been happening.
Oh, my parents were in town for a visit, so they got to come along too. This was not only something different for them but also a chance to get an opinion through fresh eyes. After quite some time in Taiwan, I’ve become accustomed to things and getting a proper visitors perspective is refreshing.
Ashui Steamed Buns
Our first stop was at the Ashui Steamed Bun shop.
As a very traditional business with mostly local appeal I was impressed that they had gotten involved with the project in the first place.
In the back of my mind sometimes think, “Is this really necessary?” But I think it is, and it’s taking action that will pay off in the future, and investment in the life of the next generation. That takes vision.
The store had a professional look and was the first store of the day, so was also our first impression.
I liked
- Menus in English
- Clear names for products
- Prices in Arabic numerals
- Interesting history
I suggest
- Evaluating the value of translating the store history to English (I would rank this as low priority)
- Focus on main signage (store sign and menus as first priority)
The second half of the morning would be at the preserved fruit shop.
Preserved Fruit Store
The marketing material in the shop was of a similar design to Ashui above. Wasn’t really a surprise after I found out that there is a marketing agency that has been given the contract for helping them out.
The products were again very local, but it is always interesting what range of things you can find.
My labelling of “local” is often just my weird way of saying something I’m not sure about or haven’t tried.
Some of the items for sale in the store were prepackaged, but others could be scooped and charged by weight.
The weighing system was the “liang” which along with the “catty” that is commonly used in markets is very unfamiliar to foreigners. Pricing per 100g would probably make the most sense for these items. My parents had to ask about this as they couldn’t figure out the method for stuff in the pots and went instead for prepackaged items.
The sign outside was only in Chinese. An appropriate English name would make it clear what kind of store it is.
I suggest
- English signage outside (XYZ Preserved Fruit)
- Cost per 100g pricing
Jiang Bing Shaved Ice Shop
This owner of this store was very keen to get feedback and was great to talk to because she revealed a lot about what she knew they could do on their own, but also what was a bit beyond the scope of their efforts.
Everything was clearly marked in English and all the prices were clear. Although it is great having the prices on signs, having the same on smaller menus is also a good idea. This is not something new, and is akin to what you would see at a fast food joint with the big sign above the counter, but smaller menus on the counter.
The big pictures of the food were an excellent idea. There is no question as to what this store sells.
Big pictures of their food are great.
Having English as part of the main logo would be my main suggestion.
The owner also brought up a good point about how people would find the store.
We contrasted the typical group tour with the backpacker style tour. Sites like TripAdvisor (for example the Tainan overview page) have gained so much popularity, that it is quite a simple matter for visitors to just rock up somewhere and just search “What’s Nearby?”
This sort of marketing is what she said they could really use help with. Getting stores on popular International platforms.
Yiliho Rice Studio
Of all the stores we went to, this was the most “Taiwan only” store. And the owner acknowledged that. So an even bigger hat-tip for going bilingual.
The store was also out of the path of tourists, being in Yongkang to the East of Tainan city proper.
Besides the varieties of rice for sale, there were also gifts based around rice. These included wedding gifts and gifts for a baby’s first month birthday and various other traditional gift-giving occasions for Taiwanese.
The Press Conference
On 12/16, my parents had just gone back to South Africa and we made our way to Tainan city again for a press conference about the stores.
The press conference was held at Ashui Steamed Buns.
Members of the Tainan City Economic Development Bureau arrived and made short introductions.
The owners of the stores were also asked to give their opinions of the whole thing, as were we.
Here are some newspaper clippings of the media results of the day’s efforts.
Here are the list of online mentions.
Liberty Times
- http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/local/paper/941412
- http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/local/paper/941411
- http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/1541624
China Times
- http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20151216003617-260405
- http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20151217001149-260204
- China Daily News
http://www.cdns.com.tw/news.php?n_id=1&nc_id=65420
Commercial Times
Big News Weekly
Bonus Store: Amei Restaurant
This was a surprise extra. We hadn’t been to see the store in the first week, so we were invited to go and check it out after the press conference.
This was a particularly interesting one as it was a big contrast to the other stores.
Amei restaurant is much bigger than the other stores. They have moved from their original location to a newer, bigger location and have converted the old premises into offices for managing their business.
Their speciality is “Hot Pot Duck” which they sell at their restaurant in Tainan, their other restaurant in Taipei and through orders.
This tea drinking table is on the first floor of the original premises and has been converted into a welcoming area and a small museum with pots from all the generations in the store before.
This was the one store where I thought the history information came in useful. It was really a museum and it was designed for people to look around.
Overall, the whole experience gave me a new insight into what’s actually happening behind the scenes here in Tainan.
Thanks go out to Melody for inviting us along and to the members of the Economic Development Bureau who were so welcoming.
Leave a Reply