E-commerce platforms in China: The battle between shopping titans and rising stars
The Chinese e-commerce platform market generated a staggering sales volume of RMB 15.5 trillion in 2024. This makes China the world’s largest e-commerce market. This flourishing market is growing steadily year on year, reaching an annual growth rate of 7.2% in 2024. Chinese consumers are pampered with a myriad of platforms to choose from, such […]
China’s toys market: a new addiction among kids and adults?
Many people know China as the world’s largest toy exporter. It has a solid manufacturing reputation, especially in the southeastern provinces. Indeed, China’s toys market has consistently exhibited positive growth over the last ten years. In 2023, the size of China’s toy market stood at a substantial RMB 159.8 billion, indicating that the demand for […]
A Foreign Firm’s Guide to Collaborating with Retail Distributors in China
In China, the retail distribution market is characterized by a fast-moving ecosystem, composed of a complex network that ties together different market players such as manufacturers, Chinese wholesale suppliers, trading companies, distributors, agents, and retailers. This network presents a landscape filled with untapped opportunities that many foreign companies are eager to discover and leverage for […]
Traditional retailers grapple with the rise of premium supermarkets in China
Chinese supermarkets are undergoing a shift towards providing premium shopping experiences. Formerly recognized for affordability and practicality, they now prioritize elevated customer interactions. This includes a careful curation of products to cater to the preferences of affluent Chinese consumers, offering a diverse selection of imported goods and specialty products tailored to local tastes. Download our […]
How to sell on Tmall and Taobao: setting up an online store to enter the Chinese market
As the world’s largest e-commerce market, China presents a significant opportunity for businesses looking to expand their reach. Platforms like Taobao and Tmall have made it possible for foreign businesses to enter the Chinese market and sell to Chinese consumers. Taobao is Asia’s largest network retail business. Founded by Alibaba Group in 2003, the Chinese online shopping […]
How the Zero-COVID lockdown impacted the Chinese economy
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused not only a public health crisis, but also an economic crisis across the globe. According to the International Monetary Fund, the median global GDP dropped by 12% from 2019 to 2020. When Omicron became the dominant variant, most countries started loosening their restrictions as the new variant is less deadly, […]
Riding the experiential retail trend: Inside Nio and Huawei’s neighbourhood stores in China
Experiential retail is the focus on establishing a captivating and shareable experience for consumers once they enter through the doors. Experiential retail differs from traditional retail in that its main goal is to prioritize customer engagement and senses – not sales. Businesses in China are no stranger to the world of experiential retail; they work […]
May 2021 named “national consumption month” dedicated to boosting China’s post-COVID consumption recovery
While China is one of the nations that were able to recover the quickest from the pandemic, the Chinese economy still has largely suffered from the supply chain disruptions, regional lockdowns and a drop of international demand caused by the pandemic. Some sectors were mostly unscathed by the pandemic, retail in China was not one […]
Gardening tools market in China: Rapid expansion driven by urbanization
The gardening tools market in China has grown substantially in the past 5 years. According to a report by ASKCI, the market size for gardening tools in China has grown from less than 600 million RMB in 2014 to more than 850 billion RMB in 2019, at a CAGR of 7.6%. The market is expected […]
E-commerce is the most important channel in health food distribution in China
The most important sales channels for health food distribution in China can be divided into different types of distributors. Supermarkets and hypermarkets Premium sales channels Warehouses and new concept shopping E-commerce Direct sales Supermarkets, hyper markets remain the most important and popular sales channels for the health food distribution in China. Super and hyper markets […]
Market Tidbits transcript #4: Mobility market in China: services related to getting things from point A to B
Matthieu David: Hello everyone. Today, for this Market Tidbits, we are going to talk about the mobility market in China. Mobility is a big thing. We are seeing in the world Uber, but in China, we are seeing Didi and Didi won the battle over Uber in China, taking actually some shares worldwide and Uber sitting […]
What the success of bubble tea in China reveals about Chinese consumers
With more than 140.5 billion RMB of annual sales made by milk tea shops in 2019, the success of bubble tea in China is well proven. If you are lost among all the new entrants to the market, the latest innovations and the dynamics of the sector, this article retraces the history of bubble tea […]