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About this episode
In 2020, the retail ecommerce sales value in China amounted to around $2.3 trillion, up from $1.8 trillion the previous year. This year, for the first time anywhere, the majority of retail sales for the entire country will transact online.
This revenue opportunity continues to lure retailers around the world, looking to tap into the fast-paced growth. For this podcast, we’re getting to grips with what brands need to understand about the local Chinese market. We also explore the key challenges that need to be overcome when establishing an ecommerce presence.
Ecommerce in China – massive growth
eMarketer predicts that 52.1% of the country’s retail sales will come from ecommerce in 2021, up from 44.8% a year prior. To put this further into context, China’s ecommerce success is unmatched globally. The country with the next-highest rate of ecommerce is South Korea, which eMarketer forecasts will do 28.9% of retail sales online. In the US, that number drops to 15.0% whereas the average in Europe is only 12.8%.
However, selling online in China raises unique challenges. In this podcast we get the inside view from local market experts, Hylink. In this episode, you’ll benefit from advice on selling via marketplaces like TMall, dealing with firewalls, tapping into social and live commerce and much more. As China’s influence on ecommerce grows, this episode is essential listening.
For our 84th episode we’re joined by Hylink Digital Director, Ying Tiun. As digital lead for the leading agency partner for brands launching and growing their ecommerce presence in Chinese markets, Ying provides valuable market knowledge.
Key discussion points
Some of the core areas covered in this podcast include:
- What are core channels that people need to be aware of when selling product and growing a brand in China?
- How does the firewall impact local ecommerce and what do Western brands need to think about?
- Can you give us an overview of how WeChat works in China from a commerce perspective?
- How big is TMall for your average Client and what are the key learnings on this?
- Do the clients you typically work with hire teams to really push growth in China, or would they often start by finding a partner & outsourcing the whole thing?
- What are some of the operational considerations around the Chinese market?
- Will the market will get harder to enter & are there any big market changes coming up?
- Why are so many businesses investing in a presence in Macao?
- If you could give one tip to a brand looking to go into China, what would it be and why?
