SmartDebit responds to report showing China’s rapidly growing e-commerce sector

Commenting on study

According to TechCrunch, a report released by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC), revealed that China’s e-commerce sector increased to a massive 1.3 trillion RMB (USD190bn) worth of transactions during 2012. However, despite the reported increase, online sales only accounted for 6.1% of the total retail sales for all consumer goods in China.

The research indicates that the growth was the result of the smartphone penetration, which has introduced the internet to a growing segment of the Chinese population. During the 2nd half of 2012, 40.7% of online shoppers used a mobile device to browse goods and services on the internet. Over half of mobile users (53.6%) browsed the mobile app version instead of accessing the main website through their mobile’s internet browser.

Findings also show that many are turning to their mobiles instead of their desktop PC’s to research goods online, as 53.3% of respondents claimed to use their mobile devices to shop whilst at home. Social media’s influence on China’s e-commerce sector was also revealed, with 41.8% of shoppers reporting to first seeing information or promotions for a product on a social media platform before continuing to purchase it.

UK. A SmartDebit spokesperson from the bureau commented on the latest research:“The latest research from the CNNIC is rather impressive, however being the economic superpower that China is I would expect this growth rate to increase further during 2013. Much like the western world, China is experiencing rapid smartphone penetration, providing more people with access to the internet than ever before.” He continues, “The UK is one of the largest digital markets in the world, businesses must invest in the e-commerce channel as well as optimising for mobile viewing to increase their customer base.”

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