The first ever China Pink Market Conference was held on Thursday in Shanghai and heard that LGBTI Chinese consumers vote with their feet when it comes to deciding which companies to do business with, with gay friendliness an important factor when it comes to choosing where to shop.

Market research company Community Marketing & Insights found that 53% of respondents in its First Annual China LGBT Community Survey indicated that ‘support [for] LGBT political causes and laws have the biggest impact on influencing their purchasing decisions.’

The survey also found that LGBTI Chinese people sought out companies who were believed to be LGBTI friendly when looking for employment.

‘Workplace equality is of high interest to LGBTs in China,’ Community Marketing & Insight found.

‘Implementing internal employment non-discrimination policies will help companies attract the best of LGBT talent; these employees often become advocates for their employers, which ultimately increases sales.’

The survey also found that lesbian and bisexual Chinese women were more likely to be open about their sexuality compared to Chinese men.

5% of the women surveyed said they were completely out, and 80% were out to some friends.

6% of the women said they were out to their boss, 32% to close colleagues and 32% to some family members, with only 9% completely closeted.

In comparison 30% of the men surveyed were completely closeted, while only 22% were out to family members and only 3% to their bosses.

The gay and bisexual Chinese men surveyed were also less likely to be out to their friends, with only 58% saying they were, and only 3% said they were completely out.

However while LGBTI Chinese people over 25 were more likely to be completely out, LGBTIs aged 18 to 21 were much more likely to be out to their close friends.

Lesbian and bisexual Chinese women were also more likely to say they felt supported in the workplace, with 44% saying they felt their workplace was LGBTI friendly compared to 37% of gay and bisexual men.

The research also found that 91% of LGBTI Chinese people had shopped used a mobile device in the past year.

‘Because most Chinese LGBTs are communicating via mobile devices, companies reaching out to them should be sure that the mobile experience is welcoming to LGBTs,’ the researchers found.

‘This may include adding same-sex couple imagery in mobile-optimized websites and apps, as well as making sure that the terminology is more gender-neutral (e.g. not referring to "he and she" when referring to couples).’

The 1st China Pink Market Conference was organized by employee group Shanghai LGBT Professionals in partnership with Community Marketing & Insights, Dan Lan/Blued, and the L.