Market Updates
Get the latest China Marketing & E-commerce news with our monthly Market Updates.
Why shopping on China’s Singles’ Day and US Black Friday differ so much
Two of the world biggest e-commerce festivals took place in November. On the 11th China’s Singles’ Day set a record with US$30.8 billion in sales while on the 23rd the US Black Friday online sales reached around US$6.3 billion (in 2017 it was US$5 billion). This massive difference represents the contrast between US and China retail ecosystems. It shows that the biggest shopping day for the world’s most populous country happens almost exclusively online. Of course helped by the internet and the rapid adoption of mobile phones, which helped to train an entire generation of increasingly affluent consumers to buy online. Furthermore, China’s Singles’ Day is now about more than just sales, it is also a social event for consumers. In contrast, American retailers often merely slash prices or hold stock clearances with discounts.
Policies refined to boost cross-border e-commerce
Between January and October 2018 retail imports of cross-border e-commerce reached 67.2 billion yuan in China, up 53.7% year-on-year. Not surprising the Chinese government places great importance on developing cross-border e-commerce and other new forms of trade. Officials have said that China will expand and improve the existing policies on retail imports and exports via cross-border e-commerce to widen opening-up and unlock the potential of consumption.
Alibaba and Fung Retailing Tie Up ‘to Bring More International Lifestyle Brands to Mainland China’
The multinational Chinese company Alibaba Group and the Fung Retailing, the retail business of the Fung Group, announced a strategic partnership last week. This collaboration will be built on the strengths of both parties in online and offline retailing, since Alibaba has over 600 million users while Fung Retailing has a network of over 3000 stores in Europe and Asia. The deal that was signed at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in the beginning of this month aims to meet the increasing demand and the constantly changing needs of Chinese consumers. Furthermore, this partnership will contribute to better serve international brands and small business by utilizing Fung Retailing’s global portfolio of brands.
Mobike Partners with Louis Vuitton to Provide Location-Based Services
In the category: unexpected collaborations, Louis Vuitton and Mobike have partnered up for a Location Based Services campaign. The campaign is aimed at promoting the historical exhibition of Louis Vuitton in Shanghai. Users of Mobike will see the ad for the exhibition when opening the APP and even the icons of the bikes have been customized. The core mechanism of LBS is that it will automatically recognize the current location of the user, and inform them of the events in surrounding areas, where to sign up, acquire the virtual badges of the brand, and participate in certain events. Although we doubt this is the first LBS campaign Mobike does, this case is an interesting example of how brands and tech companies are finding each other in co-branded efforts.
New law brings structure, discipline to the willful world of Chinese e-commerce
China became the world’s largest online retail market in 2013 and has continued growing year after year, as last week’s Alibaba’s Singles’ Day has indicated. Despite the exponential growth, the industry’s development has long been plagued by shady business practices from selling counterfeits to “brushing” of orders, the uncontrolled business practice aimed at crippling competitors by creating fake orders. Thus, to control and bring discipline to the Chinese e-commerce, the government has approved a new Electronic Commerce Law that will take effect on January 2019. The new regulations broaden the definition of e-commerce operators. Previously these only included regular e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD but will now also include non-traditional channels such as WeChat and Douyin. It will require unregistered online vendors to get approval from the regulatory authorities before selling which helps protect customer-rights and will improve the online shopping experience.
China touts US$57.8 billion deals after Shanghai import expo, but how much of that is window-dressing?
The first China International Import Expo (CIIE), hailed as symbol of China opening up, was held from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, 2018 in Shanghai. During the expo Chinese firms signed import deals worth more than 57.8 billion US dollars which included sectors such as smart manufacturing, consumer goods, food and agricultural products and services. However, business figures said that many of the deals had been agreed in advance and only announced at the event to dress up the overall numbers. Furthermore, some deals would have gone ahead even without the expo. This could point to the government’s intentions of merely using the event to enhance its image as a powerful global buyer.
Alibaba sets new Singles’ Day record with $31B in sales, but growth is slowing
The Singles’ Day event has grown into the world’s largest online shopping festival. The total revenue of 2018 represents a 27% increase from 2017 setting a new record with $30.8 billion in sales. However, this represent the lowest-ever annual growth rate for the event which might be a consequence of the economic downturn that hit China and it might be indicating that the shopping day is hitting it’s ceiling. This year, merchants from over 200 countries participated in the tenth edition of November 11 shopping festival. Some of the fastest growing categories by GMV were health supplements, small home appliances and skincare.
How Douyin Drives Sales: One KOL Shares Experience with China’s Viral Video App
Short video apps, such as China’s Douyin, have become an important marketing tool targeting the short attention spans of Gen-Z consumers. Douyin seems to be one of the most conducive for comments and engagement among the Chinese social media platforms. Beijing-based key opinion leader (KOL) Antoine Bunel suggest that brands should strike a balance between creating catchy, striking content that communicates a brand’s image without being too brand or logo-heavy. It is also important to remind that Douyin is now a hot platform, however in China trends are constantly changing. So, don’t put all your eggs in one basket and diversify your presence in Chinese social medias.
Why shopping on China’s Singles’ Day and US Black Friday differ so much
Two of the world biggest e-commerce festivals took place in November. On the 11th China’s Singles’ Day set a record with US$30.8 billion in sales while on the 23rd the US Black Friday online sales reached around US$6.3 billion (in 2017 it was US$5 billion). This massive difference represents the contrast between US and China retail ecosystems. It shows that the biggest shopping day for the world’s most populous country happens almost exclusively online. Of course helped by the internet and the rapid adoption of mobile phones, which helped to train an entire generation of increasingly affluent consumers to
Policies refined to boost cross-border e-commerce
Between January and October 2018 retail imports of cross-border e-commerce reached 67.2 billion yuan in China, up 53.7% year-on-year. Not surprising the Chinese government places great importance on developing cross-border e-commerce and other new forms of trade. Officials have said that China will expand and improve the existing policies on retail imports and exports via cross-border e-commerce to widen opening-up and unlock the potential of consumption.
Alibaba and Fung Retailing Tie Up ‘to Bring More International Lifestyle Brands to Mainland China’
The multinational Chinese company Alibaba Group and the Fung Retailing, the retail business of the Fung Group, announced a strategic partnership last week. This collaboration will be built on the strengths of both parties in online and offline retailing, since Alibaba has over 600 million users while Fung Retailing has a network of over 3000 stores in Europe and Asia. The deal that was signed at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in the beginning of this month aims to meet the increasing demand and the constantly changing needs of Chinese consumers. Furthermore, this partnership will contribute to better serve
Mobike Partners with Louis Vuitton to Provide Location-Based Services
In the category: unexpected collaborations, Louis Vuitton and Mobike have partnered up for a Location Based Services campaign. The campaign is aimed at promoting the historical exhibition of Louis Vuitton in Shanghai. Users of Mobike will see the ad for the exhibition when opening the APP and even the icons of the bikes have been customized. The core mechanism of LBS is that it will automatically recognize the current location of the user, and inform them of the events in surrounding areas, where to sign up, acquire the virtual badges of the brand, and participate in certain events. Although
New law brings structure, discipline to the willful world of Chinese e-commerce
China became the world’s largest online retail market in 2013 and has continued growing year after year, as last week’s Alibaba’s Singles’ Day has indicated. Despite the exponential growth, the industry’s development has long been plagued by shady business practices from selling counterfeits to “brushing” of orders, the uncontrolled business practice aimed at crippling competitors by creating fake orders. Thus, to control and bring discipline to the Chinese e-commerce, the government has approved a new Electronic Commerce Law that will take effect on January 2019. The new regulations broaden the definition of e-commerce operators. Previously these only included regular
China touts US$57.8 billion deals after Shanghai import expo, but how much of that is window-dressing?
The first China International Import Expo (CIIE), hailed as symbol of China opening up, was held from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10, 2018 in Shanghai. During the expo Chinese firms signed import deals worth more than 57.8 billion US dollars which included sectors such as smart manufacturing, consumer goods, food and agricultural products and services. However, business figures said that many of the deals had been agreed in advance and only announced at the event to dress up the overall numbers. Furthermore, some deals would have gone ahead even without the expo. This could point to the government’s intentions
Alibaba sets new Singles’ Day record with $31B in sales, but growth is slowing
The Singles’ Day event has grown into the world’s largest online shopping festival. The total revenue of 2018 represents a 27% increase from 2017 setting a new record with $30.8 billion in sales. However, this represent the lowest-ever annual growth rate for the event which might be a consequence of the economic downturn that hit China and it might be indicating that the shopping day is hitting it’s ceiling. This year, merchants from over 200 countries participated in the tenth edition of November 11 shopping festival. Some of the fastest growing categories by GMV were health supplements, small home
How Douyin Drives Sales: One KOL Shares Experience with China’s Viral Video App
Short video apps, such as China’s Douyin, have become an important marketing tool targeting the short attention spans of Gen-Z consumers. Douyin seems to be one of the most conducive for comments and engagement among the Chinese social media platforms. Beijing-based key opinion leader (KOL) Antoine Bunel suggest that brands should strike a balance between creating catchy, striking content that communicates a brand’s image without being too brand or logo-heavy. It is also important to remind that Douyin is now a hot platform, however in China trends are constantly changing. So, don’t put all your eggs in one basket and
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