Sertan Kabadayi
Sertan Kabadayi
Professor, Fordham University - New York City
Sertan Kabadayi is a Professor of Marketing at the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University. He holds a Ph.D. in marketing from Baruch College of the City University of New York and has been a part of the Fordham business faculty since 2005. Professor Kabadayi conducts research primarily in the services and transformative service areas, with an emphasis on consumer and societal wellbeing.
Furthermore, he is doing research related to refugees and refugee integration into host countries. He has presented his research at various conferences and has had his work published in a variety of academic journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, and Psychology & Marketing.
Professor Sertan Kabadayi currently serves as the Co-editor-in-Chief, Journal of Service Management. He is also Editorial Board Member of Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Theory and Practice and, Psychology and Marketing.
THE GLOBAL VOICES AT THE GHANA CENTRE FOR CHINA STUDIES
On July 14, 2025 Sertan Kabadayi, professor of marketing at the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University, shared with the Ghana Centre for China Studies his perspective on the Chinese market.
Historically competitive low prices were the main driver behind US-based B2B customers value in Chinese-made products. They knew that they might not get the best quality products, but the price attractiveness could make up for not-the-best quality products in some cases. Now, the quality of made-in China products has much improved so that low quality perception is not an issue. Many Chinese manufacturers now use quite advanced technology so that helps with overall quality perception. Price point still remains a significant factor. However, two other considerations have become quite critical in recent years: First, compliance with US standards and regulations is a major issue. Given the economic and political tensions between US and China, more B2B customers make sure that buying/using Chinese products will not create any issue at home when it comes to US government regulations and standards. So they want to see more details in product descriptions etc to ensure they are in compliance with local regulations here at home. Also, especially if they trade directly with China, after the Covid-19 and global shutdown, the supply-chain agility and reliability is now an important factor. US B2B customers if they do direct business with Chinese manufacturers the supply chain structure and system is important. One final factor is the importance of using Chinese products for their signaling value! It means that in some cases some B2B companies do not want to use Made in China products to signal their support for different issues and topics like human rights, democracy and also support for US based products.
Like the rest of the developed economies, digital marketing plays a very vital role in the Chinese market. While it is a definitely must have when it comes to very digital-literate younger population, the use of digital marketing tools is also quite common for other segments as well. So, marketers need to use digital marketing for sure. The issue is how, in what capacity and using what specific digital marketing tools and platforms to use. As we know the Chinese government has some strict rules and regulations when it comes to some Digital companies and platforms. They closely control and regulate what you can do and offer through such digital channels and platforms. Also as we know, many popular Western platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram are blocked in Chinese market so global marketers must tailor strategy to using local tools. The good news is that there is already a well-established digital ecosystem with many companies, channels, and platforms to choose from. So the question is not whether or not to use digital marketing in the Chinese market, but rather how to use it.
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