How is Chinese Growth Affecting Ecommerce Web Development?
The
Chinese ecommerce web development landscape is changing really fast. New
functions, apps, patterns and trends of usage emerge daily. So many ecommerce
and digital players are competing in this area, and market leaders like Baidu,
Tencent and Alibaba lead the way. In fact, these ecommerce leaders are at the
heart of the Chinese corporate landscape and considered to be powerful
platforms. These Chinese powerhouses are extremely beneficial, with a large
active user base centred around a thriving business. In fact, over 800 million
users are at the core of Chinese social media and influence the online shopping
experience.
- Ecommerce & Social Media Integration
Chinese
ecommerce web development has pioneered the value of social media and advanced technologies for redefining the online
shopping experience. Baidu has cemented its status by investing in Face It,
also known as the ‘Chinese Snapchat’. They also lead the ecommerce world, when
it comes to incorporating augmented reality developments in the searching
mechanism.
With
its WeChat platform, Tencent has also boosted the value of social media for
creating a level playing field in the ecommerce world. With over 750 million
active users, this platform is the most integrated social networking app in the
world. In contrast to these, Alibaba, another leading Chinese ecommerce
retailer, has invested in microblogging site Weibo to compete with WeChat in an
extremely competitive market. Weibo offers many benefits in that it is an open
network. Users can study posts by just about anyone and do not have to sign in.
- The Rise of Social Commerce
As
the number of online shoppers rise, the desire for different products on
platforms is also on the rise. China is easily the fastest growing online
commerce market across the globe. Social commerce is rapidly emerging with apps
like Little Red Book. Additionally, people share their purchases and advocate
the value of brands and products. WeChat also offers micro-stores for shopping
within apps. This is effective as payment is linked to WeChat’s in-built
e-wallet service.
Platforms
comprise group sale sites, crowdfunding sites, second-hand sales sites,
cross-border retail platforms, as well as flash sales sites.
- The Mobile Commerce Wave
In
China, the future of ecommerce is mobile commerce with close to 550 million
smartphone shoppers at present. Additionally, payment apps like WeChat or
Alipay permit users to link online transactions with their bank accounts and
pay for different services and products. Users will also be able to pay with
their mobile balance and it is a powerful development, permitting individuals
to buy or sell from any place without entering the debit/credit card number.
This feature is rapidly gaining popularity. Most ecommerce agencies in China
also integrate this capability.
So,
payment is integrated with social media. The boundary between social media and
ecommerce is blurring, with social commerce on the rise. The largest e-commerce
websites have special features like offering options for instant purchases or
sharing on networks to help users discover fresh products. Ecommerce as well as
social platforms also offer links to overseas agents. For example, many non
Chinese brands can be found on cross-border platforms.
- Professional Customer Service
Another
key trend in Chinese ecommerce web development is the use of apps like Weibo,
WeChat and China’s Quora, Zhihu for one-on-one customer service interactions.
Different brands can even tap these channels to enable customers and prospects
to communicate effectively with industry leaders.
- Influencers Gain Ground
China’s
influencers are steadily rising. Celebs in cyber space target a massive
percentage of internet users. There are also specialists building smaller, but
dedicated communities across specific expertise areas. This level of growth has
further expanded with the emergence of key opinion leaders in the ecommerce
space in China, spanning not just celebs, but experts as well.