Online buzz has the power to build up - or significantly damage- a brand very quickly. Chinese people are sharing their opinions and experiences about brands by the millions on online bulletin board services and local social media channels. Around 13 million consumer comments, for example, are published every month on automobile bulletin boards alone。

　　"Proportionally, Chinese consumers rely on the Internet in making purchase decisions much more than their counterparts in the West," said Charles Edouard Bouée, Roland Berger's Asia President. Almost 60 percent of Internet users in China said that consumer review sites, as well as discussion forums and blogs, influence their purchasing decisions, compared with less than 20 percent in the US。

　　But it's not just talk, according to the report. Consumers are organizing themselves for group purchasing discounts and even online and offline "protests"。

　　"The Internet aspect in China represents both an opportunity and a challenge," said Alain Lecouedic, a partner in the consultancy firm. "Companies need to raise the bar of their products and anticipate their strategy. If things go wrong, it can quickly damage a brand."

　　Chinese consumers are also "displaying more individualism than before, striving not only to be fashionable but to be able to express their individual style," the report found. And it is not just in the big cities. Consumer sophistication is rising just as much - or perhaps even faster - in the less developed smaller cities than in the booming economic centers。