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Thanks to an aggressive roll out of online sales platforms by savvy businesses, China’s online market now accounts for 40% of global online sales.2
That makes China the world’s largest – and most lucrative – online market.
Despite China imposing stricter Internet controls than most countries3, its online retail industry has still welcomed an additional 150,000 new shoppers per day to the mainland’s online customer base, according to estimates from Bain & Company.4
How did China’s online market become a goldmine for thousands of operators? We look at five underlying factors, and reflect on what takeaways international real estate professionals could learn when marketing to Chinese property buyers.
Online platforms that have access behind China’s Firewall are far reaching, allowing for coverage that extends to China’s 9.4 million sq.km land area. This allows firms to connect with China’s fast-growing regional markets, which may have been under-serviced before due to the prior requirements of having a physical presence.5 That means consumers also enjoy new access to products, which they couldn't previously get their hands on, very easily.
China’s superbly efficient delivery services is key in facilitating consumer adoption of e-commerce in China. Same-day delivery is the norm in China now, which means delivery time for ordering a new pair of shoes vs. ordering your lunch is virtually the same, and this has greatly helped Chinese consumers quickly adopt a habit of online purchasing and internet research.
With fraud and scams prevalent in China, Chinese consumers have become more confident with online purchases of foreign products, and have embraced its endless range of choices from companies overseas. For small-scale purchases from foreign websites for personal use, China has even allowed for these purchases to be cleared more quickly in trade zones at customs checks.
Marketplace platforms have been a hit, and McKinsey estimates they account for 90% of total sales online6 – especially market leaders Taobao and TMall sites, whose popularity lies in the fact that buyers can swiftly compare across markets and products. This model is different to most other countries in the US, Europe, and Japan, where large, specialised retail chains have already established themselves in the e-commerce arena.
China’s mobile netizens grew from 50.4 million users in 2007 to 630 million users by the end of 2015. By putting the world of retail into consumers’ hands, China’s online retail sales surged from 56 billion yuan ($8.51 billion) to 3.877 trillion yuan ($589.6 billion) during the same period.1
Online is clearly where the money’s at, and it will continue to be the battleground for Chinese consumers’ hearts, minds, and wallets in the years ahead.
With these five drivers in mind, it’s time to turn them into your advantage. Here are five strategies to play on China’s lucrative retail market.
That said, we hope that you've been enlightened with what we've shared above. So if you have previously underestimated the power of e-commerce, we suggest you do a turnabout, stat.
After all, considering that Chinese spending on cross-border e-commerce is expected to grow 50.1% y-o-y to a record $85.8 billion in 20169, now is the time to up your game and ride the wave of China’s booming online market before you miss out on a Chinese windfall.