8. 2014 china cross border e commerce report brief edition

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2014 China Cross-border E-commerce Report (Brief Edition) www.iresearchchina.com

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China Cross Border E Commerce Report

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  • 2014 China Cross-border E-commerce Report

    (Brief Edition)

    www.iresearchchina.com

  • 2 2

    Development Environment of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    1

    2

    3

    4

    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce 5

  • 3 3

    Development Environment of China Cross-border E-

    commerce Definition of Cross-border E-commerce

    Cross-border e-commerce can be defined in both broad and narrow sense. In a narrow sense, cross-border e-commerce is almost equal to cross-border retailing, in which transaction parties in

    different countries reach agreements and settle accounts through the Internet and deliver/receive the goods via cross-border

    logistics.

    In a broad sense, cross-border e-commerce equals electronic foreign trade. Its a kind of international business, in which the product display, negotiation and transaction are done via the Internet and goods are delivered through

    cross-border logistics.

    The cross-border e-commerce mentioned here refers to the latter one, which only covers cross-border e-commerce

    transaction, excluding cross-border e-commerce services. It consists of the cross-border online B2B deals as well as

    the B2B deals in O2O pattern.

    Cross-border E-commerce

    Cross-border E-commerce Transaction

    (cross-border e-commerce in broad sense adopted by this report)

    cross-border e-commerce = cross-border B2C e-commerce + cross-

    border B2B e-commerce

    Cross-border E-commerce

    Services (excluded)

    Cross-border Retailing/Cross-border B2C

    e-commerce

    (cross-border e-commerce in narrow

    sense, cross-border e-commerce)

    cross-border B2B e-commerce

    (O2O deals + online deals)

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  • 4 4

    China Foreign Trade Conditions in 2013

    Domestic and International Factors Slowed the Growth

    Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China.

    The total foreign trade volume of China amounted to 25.8 trillion Yuan in 2013, and the growth rates of import and export both

    attained certain rise versus 2012. However, due to the slow pace of world economic recovery, climbing domestic labor costs,

    appreciation of the RMB and worsening trade friction, the growth rate of Chinas total foreign trade volume was always below 10% in recent two years. iResearch forecasts that such situation will remain in 2014 with limited rise in the total volume.

    6.3

    7.8

    9.4 10.0

    8.2

    10.7

    12.3 12.9

    13.7

    5.4 6.3

    7.3 8.0

    6.9

    9.5

    11.3 11.4 12.1

    23.9% 20.6%

    7.3%

    -18.3%

    30.5% 15.2%

    4.5% 6.5%

    16.8% 15.7%

    8.5%

    -13.7%

    38.0%

    19.5%

    1.0% 5.9%

    0

    5

    10

    15

    20

    25

    2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

    Chinas Total Foreign Trade Volume 2005-2013

    Total value of exports (tr Yuan) Total value of imports (tr Yuan) % Growth of exports % Growth of imports

  • 5 5

    China Foreign Trade Conditions in 2013

    Cross-border E-commerce Simplifies Foreign Trade

    Chinese Producer/Manufacturer

    Chinese Exporter

    Foreign Importer

    Foreign Wholesaler

    Foreign Retailer

    Foreign Consumer

    Due to the excessive dependence on traditional sales model, long transaction duration, relatively less profit margins and alike

    problems, traditional foreign trade is increasingly unfavorable to the business development of small and medium foreign trade

    companies.

    As a business model based on the Internet, cross-border e-commerce is rebuilding the international trade chain of SMEs. By

    breaking the monopoly of foreign channels such as importers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers which exists in traditional

    foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce enables companies to contact with individual wholesalers, retailers and even consumers

    directly, which effectively simplifies the transaction and saves goods circulation costs.

    There was basically no traditional foreign trade companies and manufacturing companies in e-commerce sector prior to 2012, and

    they began to set foot in this area in about 2013. Cross-border e-commerce is gradually becoming a significant choice of traditional

    companies.

    Chinese Producer/Manufacturer

    Online Merchant

    Cross-border E-commerce

    Platform

    Foreign Online Merchant

    Foreign Consumer

    Traditional

    Foreign Trade

    Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Chinese Producer/Manufacturer

    Cross-border E-commerce

    Platform

    Foreign Consumer

    Chinese Producer/Manufacturer

    Cross-border E-commerce

    Platform

    Foreign Online

    Merchant

    Foreign Consumer

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  • 6 6

    Policies About Cross-border E-commerce

    More and More Supportive Policies

    2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013-2014

    A

    2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013-2014

    Early Stage Development Stage

    2004-2007

    High-tide Stage

    B 2008-2012

    C Since 2013

    3 policies preliminarily

    regulate the development of

    e-commerce, placing extra

    emphasis on the industry.

    10 policies involving

    supervision, payment and

    settlement, and so on,

    placing extra emphasis on

    support and guidance.

    More than 10 policies

    focusing on export

    and involving

    implementation.

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  • 7 7

    Policies About Cross-border E-commerce

    Different Customs Supervision for Different Kinds of Customs Clearance Regarding the goods traded via cross-border e-commerce, there are mainly three means for goods to cross national boundaries: (1) Customs clearance of goods: for the situation that Chinese import and export companies display products and make

    agreements with foreign wholesalers and retailers online and finish shipments offline, these goods shall be included in customs

    statistics. There are also some companies building cross-border e-commerce platforms for import and export companies, such

    as Onetouch in Shenzhen which helps SMEs with their foreign business, and the involved goods are also included customs

    statistics.

    (2) Customs clearance of express: according to a survey carried out by General Administration of Customs , more than 95% of

    the goods traded via cross-border e-commerce and delivered by the five biggest express companies in China are declared as

    import and export goods at customs and are included in cargo statistics. Only less than 5% the goods are declared as personal

    belongings and are not included in customs statistics.

    (3) Customs clearance of mail: goods bought online and delivered by mail are mainly daily essentials. According to related

    regulations issued by General Administration of Customs and the State Council, goods for personal use of reasonable amount

    are out of compulsory customs clearance and statistics.

    With the development of cross-border e-commerce, trading is becoming more and more fragmented. Some of traditional trade has

    shifted to cross-border e-commerce, and goods are delivered by express or mail. Under this circumstance, General Administration

    of Customs is searching for an improved statistical system to cover all goods.

    For different trading modes of cross-border e-commerce, there are following differences in customs clearance: (1) B2B export: if goods are exported on a large scale, they are actually in traditional trade. For goods exported on a small scale

    by express or mail, its hard to get customs forms, and there are also some troubles in goods inspection, settlement of exchange and tax reimbursement.

    (2) B2B import: the overall situation is basically the same as that of B2B export.

    (3) B2C export: because it mainly targets overseas customers with relatively small orders but high trading frequency, and goods

    are usually delivered by express or mail, it is not included in current customs regulatory system, so there are also some troubles

    in goods inspection, settlement of exchange and tax reimbursement.

    (4) B2C import: these goods, which are delivered by express or mail, are mainly bought for personal use, and theyre not involved in customs statistics. Domestic consumers have large demands for overseas products, which encourages emergence of parallel

    traders and illegal purchasing agents. Besides, the current cargo regulatory system is unsatisfactory in maneuverability, so

    relevant departments are trying to improve and perfect it.

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  • 8 8

    Policies About Cross-border E-commerce

    Pilot Cities: Exploration of Customs Clearance of Express and Mail In cross-border e-commerce, goods delivered by express and mail often face troubles in customs clearance, settlement of

    exchange and tax reimbursement. In order to solve these problems, General Administration of Customs selected some pilot cities to

    study the standard regulations and management system of cross-border e-commerce and improvement of customs clearance

    management and service. The project innovates in two aspects: policy innovation, which explores management system suitable for

    cross-border e-commerce, and innovation of information technology, which enables related departments to work together and share

    data with enterprises in e-commerce, payment and logistics sectors.

    In December 2012, General Administration of Customs officially selected five cities including Shanghai and Chongqing as the pilot

    cities. In October 2013, the project was carried out in some other suitable cities which are usually logistics centers, port cities,

    places of origin, etc.

    There are four kinds of business can be applied for by pilot cities. According General Administration of Customs, only six cities,

    including Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, are allowed to operate import business of cross-border e-commerce, and other

    cities can only deal with export business.

    Pilot Cities of Cross-border E-commerce

    Group Approval

    Time Pilot City

    Examination and

    Approval

    Authority

    Project

    Startup

    Stage

    2012

    Zhengzhou, Shanghai,

    Chongqing, Hangzhou,

    Ningbo

    General

    Administration of

    Customs

    Project

    Expanding

    Stage

    2013-

    2014

    10+ cities including

    Changsha, Shenzhen,

    Suzhou, Qingdao,

    Guangzhou, Pingtan,

    Yinchuan, Mudanjiang,

    Harbin, Yantai, Xian and Changchun

    General

    Administration of

    Customs

    Approved Cross-border E-commerceBusiness for

    Some Pilot Cities

    City

    Direct

    Purchase

    Import

    Bonded

    Import

    General

    Export

    Bonded

    Export

    Chongqing

    Guangzhou

    Shanghai

    Ningbo

    Hangzhou

    Zhengzhou

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  • 9 9

    Policies About Cross-border E-commerce Pilot Cities: Exploration of Import Business Currently, the exploration of cross-border e-commerce can be divided into two parts, namely export and import:

    (1) Export: according to General Administration of Customs, by April 28, 2014, cities including Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou

    and Chongqing had been involved in export business of cross-border e-commerce and more than 250,000 export lists had been

    checked and approved, which equaled to 1,393 export declaration forms with an approximate value of 29.25 million Yuan.

    (2) Import: making their special functions and advantages into full play, pilot cities create bonded import and direct purchase import

    models for online shopping. By April 28, 2014, cities including Shanghai, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou and Chongqing had

    been involved in import business and nearly 60,000 packages had been checked and approved with an approximate value of

    20.48 million Yuan. These pilot cities had made many attempts, and relevant platforms such as Kjt and KJB2C were launched

    one and after under the instruction of related governmental departments.

    Comparison of Two Import Models of Cross-border E-commerce

    Import Model Direct Purchase Import Bonded Import

    Operation

    Consumers buy goods from abroad. These goods

    are shipped by international transportation means

    and then reach domestic consumers directly.

    Foreign goods are temporarily stored in bonded areas after arriving in China.

    If someone purchases the goods, they will be regarded as personal items

    and be delivered to domestic consumers with local logistics.

    Advantages &

    Disadvantages

    Advantages: it provides a variety of products, so

    Chinese consumers can directly communicate with

    overseas businesses and buy scarce and novel

    products with good quality.

    Disadvantages: it takes a relatively longer time,

    from 7 to 10 days.

    Advantages: it takes less time to finish delivery; quality is guaranteed by

    customs supervision; convenience in after-sale services like changing and

    refunding improves shopping experience.

    Disadvantages: limited categories of goods

    Goods Price

    Structure

    Commodity price + logistics costs + personal postal

    articles tax (subject to adjustment of merchants)

    Commodity price + personal postal articles tax (subject to adjustment of

    merchants)

    Typical Pilot City Hangzhou, Guangzhou Kjt, KJB2C, Emaoe, Igetmall

    Result N/A

    According to customs in Shanghai and Ningbo, kjt.com was launched at the

    end of 2013. By the end of March, 2014, Kjt had finished 26,766 orders,

    which mainly consisted of imported food like Frappuccino and milk powder.

    Since Ningbo commenced cross-border e-commerce import business at the

    end of November, 2013, 15,017 orders had been examined and approved

    which valued 49.75 million Yuan by March 30, 2014. These orders were

    mainly about diapers, stainless steel thermal cups and food.

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  • 10 10

    Investment in Cross-border E-commerce

    More and More Attention From Investors

    Source: China Venture.

    In recent years, e-commerce industry has always been a highlight in capital market. From January 1, 2010 to September 30, 2014,

    there were 567 investment and financing cases in e-commerce industry, including 99 cases in 2010, 176 cases in 2011, 92 cases in

    2013 and 103 cases by September 30 in 2014. Many cross-border e-commerce operators, such as Alibaba, DHgate, Lightinthebox

    and OSell, etc. all attained investment of different amounts. The details are as follows.

    Investment and Financing Cases in E-commerce Industry 2010 Sep. 30, 2014

    Company Time Investor Announced Amount Unit

    Alibaba Sep. 18, 2012

    China Investment/CITIC Capital/CDB Capital/Boyu

    Capital 2 Bn USD

    Oct. 8, 2011 DST/Silver Lake/Temasek/Sequoia Capital 1.6 Bn USD

    DHgate Sep. 12, 2014 China Growth Capital/TDF Capital Hundreds of Millions RMB

    Mar. 11, 2010 Warburg Pincus, etc. 200 Mn RMB

    OSell

    Sep. 27, 2011 Northern Light Venture Capital 3.95 Mn USD

    Jan. 1, 2011 SIG Asia Investment N/A

    Jun. 5, 2010 Northern Light Venture Capital 4 Mn USD

    Lightinthebox Mar. 23, 2012 Ceyuan Ventures, GSR Ventures 8 Mn USD

    Oct. 25, 2010 GSR Ventures/Trustbridge Partners/Ceyuan

    Ventures/Banean 35 Mn USD

    Global Market Jun. 1, 2010 Shanghai International Group 11.31 Mn USD

    Wish

    Jun. 28, 2014 Founders Fund, Legend Capital, Formation 8, GGV

    Capital, Yang Zhiyuang 50 Mn USD

    Apr. 1, 2014 GGV Capital, Formation8 19 Mn USD

    ZZKKO

    Sep. 1, 2014 Sealand Jianguo Capital Tens of Millions RMB

    Oct. 1, 2013 Qingsong Fund Million RMB

  • 11 11

    Development Environment of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    1

    2

    3

    4

    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce 5

  • 12 12

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    In terms of the export flow of cross-border e-commerce, producers or manufacturers display their products on cross-border e-

    commerce platforms. After the products are selected and paid by customers, they will be sent to logistics companies by cross-

    border e-commerce operators for delivery. The products will finally reach the customers after two inspections at customs (for export

    and import). Some cross-border e-commerce operators cooperates with third-party comprehensive service platforms and entrust

    them with logistics, goods inspection and alike procedures. Import flow is just opposite to that of export flow.

    Consumer

    Cross-border E-

    commerce Company

    Payment

    Company

    Logistics

    Company

    Third-party Comprehensive

    Service Platform

    Customer

    Pro

    du

    ce

    r/Ma

    nu

    fac

    ture

    r

    Customs

    Overseas

    Logistics Domestic

    Logistics

    Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Platform

    Self-run Cross-

    border E-

    commerce

    Company

    Company

    Product

    Consumer/

    Company

    Customs Clearance

    Logistics Payment

    Cross-border E-commerce

    Company

    Producer/

    Manufacturer Import

    Export

    China Cross-border E-commerce Flow

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  • 13 13

    Cross-border E-commerce Company 2B 2C

    Information

    Service Platform

    Trading Service

    Platform

    Third-party Service Company

    Logistics Company

    Finance Company

    Comprehensive

    Service Company IT, Marketing, Third-party

    Opration, etc.

    Logistics Integrating

    Company

    Logistics Service

    Provider

    Pro

    du

    ce

    r/Ma

    nu

    fac

    ture

    r

    Co

    ns

    um

    er/C

    om

    pa

    ny

    Payment Company Insurance Company Financing Company

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    se

    lf-run

    Site

    P

    latfo

    rm

    Others Shopping Guide Site

  • 14 14

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    Classification of Cross-border E-commerce Companies

    Export Company: Made-in-China, AliExpress, Dhgate, etc. Import Company: Ymatou, Kjt, etc.

    Platform: AliExpress, DHgate (without purchase and delivery)

    Self-operation + Platform: OSell,

    Lightinthebox, etc. (price difference for self-run business and

    commission for platform business)

    Self-operation:

    DealExtreme, Milanoo, etc. (with purchase and delivery)

    2B: Made-in-China, Alibaba, etc. 2B+2C: Dhgate, OSell, etc. 2C: eBay, AliExpress, etc.

    Vertical: Liming Heavy Industry, Milanoo, etc.

    (focus on core products and business)

    Export

    vs

    Import

    Changing with the development of users demand and companies (such as cross-border shopping guide, etc.)

    Comprehensive: Made-in-China, AliExpress, etc.

    (large traffic, large number of goods and diversified business)

    Platform

    vs

    Self-operation

    2B

    vs

    2C

    Comprehensive

    vs

    Vertical

    Others

    Classification of Cross-border E-commerce Companies

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  • 15 15

    Development Environment of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    1

    2

    3

    4

    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce 5

  • 16 16

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    History of Chinas Cross-border E-Commerce Platform

    In 1998, the first group of cross-border e-commerce platforms represented by Alibaba B2B and Made-in-China emerged. These websites mainly released information, promoted deals and bridged sellers and buyers. However, there were also some problems. Firstly, without professional and in-depth service, logistics and payment are satisfactory. Secondly, the websites could hardly offer

    other profound and professional services except for information. Finally, enterprises would negotiate and make deals offline after

    online inquiry. With the development of this sector, some B2B e-commerce enterprises represented by DHgate gradually

    transformed into transaction platforms with commission as their major profit source. Since 2013, B2B enterprises began to offer

    services during and after the trading, covering logistics, storage and financing.

    Meanwhile, there were gradually some cross-border B2C enterprises since 2006, including DX, Lightinthebox and OSell. These

    companies greatly reduced the intermediate parts of the industry chain and made generous profits from the difference between

    purchasing and selling price. They are developing rapidly in recent years.

    1997 2002 2005 2008 2011 2013 2014

    Made-in-China, Global Market, Alibaba B2B,

    Onetouch, etc. were

    founded one after another;

    Early cross-border B2B e-commerce enterprises

    made profits by releasing

    paid information.

    Chukou1, DHgate, 4PX, BizArk, etc. were founded;

    Enterprises made profits by collecting commission and

    began to offer some value-

    added services.

    In 2006, DealExtreme, Lightinthebox, Tradetang, OSell and other B2C enterprises were found in

    sequence;

    Most B2C enterprises established during this stage made profits from the difference between

    purchasing and selling price. Lightinthebox was

    listed in the NYSE in 2013.

    B2B

    B2C

    Information Service

    Membership fee + Marketing Charge

    Transaction Service

    Commission

    Resource Integration

    Commission + Service Fee

    Early Stage of B2C

    Difference Between Purchasing and Selling Price

    1998-2002 2003-2005 2006-now: Development Stage of B2C

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  • 17 17

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    3.1 Trillion Yuan GMV in 2013

    Note: China cross-border e-commerce GMV involves cross-border e-commerce retailing and cross-border B2B e-commerce.

    Source: The data is based on the data released by National Bureau of Statistics of China, financial results published by enterprises, interviews with experts and iResearch

    statistical model.

    The GMV of China cross-border e-commerce amounted to 3.1 trillion Yuan in 2013, rising by 31.3% and making up 11.9% of the

    total foreign trade volume. With unveiling of many favorable policies concerning cross-border e-commerce, many insiders are

    actively improving the industry chain. Its expected that this sector will maintain a rapid and stable progress for a few years and will contribute 20% or so to the total foreign trade volume in 2017.

    20.2

    23.6 24.3 25.8

    27.1 29.5

    32.0 34.6

    1.3 1.8 2.3

    3.1 4.0 5.2

    6.5 8.0

    6.3% 7.5% 9.6% 11.9% 14.8%

    17.6% 20.5% 23.1%

    41.0% 40.1% 32.0% 31.3% 30.6% 29.3% 25.9% 22.2%

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    50

    60

    2010 2011 2012 2013 2014e 2015e 2016e 2017e

    China Foreign Trade Volume and Cross-border E-commerce GMV 2010-2017

    Total foreign trade volume (tr Yuan) Cross-border e-commerce GMV (tr Yuan)

    % Contribution of cross-border e-commerce to Foreign Trade % Growth of cross-border e-commerce GMV

  • 18 18

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    Nearly 90% of China Cross-border E-commerce Were Export

    Chinas cross-border e-commerce structure reveals that in 2013, export accounted for 88.2% of the total GMV, so the import business is still in its early stage. With domestic consumers increasing demand for overseas products, its expected that the import sector will grow constantly in future. However, as import business is sensitive to states policies, its growth will be relatively steady and slow.

    Source: The data is based on the data released by National Bureau of Statistics of China, financial results published by enterprises, interviews with experts and iResearch

    statistical model.

    93.5% 92.4% 90.2% 88.2% 86.7% 85.4% 84.4% 83.8%

    6.5% 7.6% 9.8% 11.8% 13.3% 14.6% 15.6% 16.2%

    0%

    20%

    40%

    60%

    80%

    100%

    2010 2011 2012 2013 2014e 2015e 2016e 2017e

    Share of Import and Export in China Cross-border E-commerce GMV 2010 -2017

    Export Import

  • 19 19

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    B2B Accounted for 93.9% of China Cross-border E-commerce

    From the perspective of transaction modes, B2B was absolutely the dominant mode with a share of nearly 93.9% in 2013, and such

    situation is expected to maintain due to its considerable and stable orders. B2C will also gain certain progress in future thanks to the

    fragmentation trend of cross-border e-commerce. Its estimated that B2Cs share will rise to 10% in 2017.

    Source: The data is based on the data released by National Bureau of Statistics of China, financial results published by enterprises, interviews with experts and iResearch

    statistical model.

    97.7% 96.8% 95.4% 93.9% 92.4% 90.8% 89.6% 88.9%

    2.3% 3.2% 4.6% 6.1% 7.6% 9.2% 10.4% 11.1%

    0%

    20%

    40%

    60%

    80%

    100%

    2010 2011 2012 2013 2014e 2015e 2016e 2017e

    Share of B2B and B2C in China Cross-border E-commerce GMV 2010 -2017

    B2B B2C

  • 20 20

    Development Environment of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    1

    2

    3

    4

    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce 5

  • 21 21

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    DHgate: A Third-party Cross-border B2B Transaction Platform

    2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

    Was founded

    International

    transaction

    platform was

    official launched

    Gained the first-

    round investment

    Became Googles important strategic

    partner in China

    DHgate2.0 was

    launched

    Became a partner of UPS

    Dhpay was launched

    Dhexpress was launched

    Mobile platform was launched

    Set up overseas

    customer service

    center in the

    Philippines

    Finished the fourth-round financing

    Russian version was released

    Launched Yiwu Global Online Goods Center

    Started online delivery service

    Became Googles ad agent in China

    mobile visits accounted for one third of total visits

    DHgate.com was launched in 2014 as a cross-border B2B e-commerce platform. It mainly sells electronic products, mobile phones

    and accessories, computers and Internet products, wedding articles, etc. Europe, America and Australia are its major market, and

    currently it owns 1.2 million domestic suppliers, 5.5 million buyers and 25 million kinds of products.

    Finished the third-round financing

    Launched online small loan service with CCB

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  • 22 22

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    DHgate: Commission + Service Fee

    DHgate.com is a transaction platform providing transaction services for both buyers and sellers in order to promote online trading.

    Based on the positioning, Dhgates profit consists of two parts: (1) commission: DHgate.com serves as a transaction platform for buyers and sellers and charges the buyers a certain amount of commission for successful transactions, and (2) service fee: since

    cross-border e-commerce is operated by users in more than 200 countries and one hundred thousand cities around the world, it is

    much more complicated than domestic e-commerce. Also, the whole transaction process of cross-border e-commerce takes more

    time, and buyers and sellers call for services of higher standards. The complicated and commercial features of these transaction

    determine that multiple services are needed in the whole cross-border transaction process. Given the characteristics, Dhgate

    provides services like intensive logistics, financial service and agency service for some fees.

    Transaction: Commission

    Transaction commission: it is free to register, upload product information

    and display them on DHgate.com. The

    buyer will only be charged

    commission based on the transaction

    volume for a successful transaction.

    Commission model: DHgate adopts the single commission rate model,

    which means that a fixed proportion of

    commission is charged according to

    the category. This model works with a

    multistep commission policywhen a single order is worth no less than

    USD300, the commission rate is

    4.5%.

    Service: Service Fee

    Service fee: DHgate provides services for merchants including opening a new shop,

    platform operation, marketing, fund

    settlement and so on.

    Marketing: to improve product exposure, it provides merchants with marketing tools,

    including priced advertising, bidding

    advertising, display plans, etc. by charging

    fees in the form of DHgate coins.

    Third-party Operation: it tailors services for merchants in terms of training, shop

    decoration, account management, etc.

    Fees are charged according to different

    services.

    Integrated foreign trade service: it provides services including online financial

    service, intensive logistics, and a set of

    services of storage, customs clearance, tax

    refund and goods inspection by charging

    certain service fee.

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    Typical Cases and Business Models

    DHgate: Nationwide Suppliers + Platform + Integrated Service +

    Impressive Performance of Mobile Sector

    Apart from basic services based on the platform,

    DHgate is optimizing its integrated services:

    Payment: DHpay has access to more than 30 payment

    means in the world;

    Logistics: online delivery, warehousing and

    concentrated freight services. The DHlink supports

    more than 20 logistics channels including EMS, UPS,

    DHL, etc.

    Credit: DHCredit cooperates with financial institutions

    to provide credit service.

    Other value-added services: training, marketing,

    third-party operation, etc.

    Positioning: a third-party B2B cross-border

    transaction platform, committing to helping

    Chinese SMEs to enter global market through

    cross-border E-commerce platform.

    Platform advantage: by June 2014, DHgate had

    owned 1.2 million merchants, 25 million kinds of

    online goods and 5.5 million buyers, with 100

    thousand visitors per hour. It has great

    advantages in users, traffic and goods categories.

    App: in 2011, it launched the first app for buyers in

    cross-border e-commerce sector, followed by a

    WAP platform for buyers and an app for merchants.

    Also, a mobile laboratory was set up in Silicon

    Valley.

    Development: its mobile business develops

    rapidly. By June 2014, visits of mobile DHgate.com

    accounted for 42% of the total visits. Compared to

    the same period in 2013, the transaction volume,

    new buyers and active buyers respectively

    increased by 200%, 248% and 220%.

    Service object: expanding from small and medium

    merchants to large foreign trade companies,

    manufacturers and brand owners.

    Platform expansion: besides transaction platform,

    DHgate launched online cargo center for traditional

    foreign trade companies. In August 2013, DHgate

    launched a global online cargo center by cooperating with the merchants in Yiwu.

    Platform

    Integrated Service Impressive Performance of Mobile Sector

    Nationwide Suppliers

  • 24 24

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    Lightinthebox: A Cross-border B2C E-commerce Website

    Established in 2007, Lightinthebox is the biggest foreign trade B2C website in China now. At first, Lightinthebox focused on selling customized wedding dresses. Later, its business scope has expanded to 14 categories and more than 60 thousand kinds of goods,

    including apparel, electronic products, toys, accessories and household items. Europe and North America are its major markets. On

    June 6, 2013, Lightinthebox went public in New York Stock Exchange. The offering price was USD 9.5 and it got financing worth

    USD 78.85 million. In Q3 2014, the net revenues reached USD 99 million. Specifically, the net revenues of apparel, its major

    category, increased to USD 37 million at a YoY growth rate of 103.9%. In addition, the number of orders and customers both

    experienced an over 50% YoY growth.

    2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

    Was established and

    Focused on B2B

    foreign trade of

    electronic products

    Established LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd.

    Attained first-round investment of USD5 million

    Began to sell wedding dresses The first warehouse in Shenzhen

    The third warehouse in Shenzhen

    Went public in New York Stock Exchange

    Self-operation and special offers of apparel

    Announced its global open platform of fashion goods

    strategy

    Established a logistics center in Europe

    Established a mobile Internet R&D center in Chengdu

    Established wedding dress design center

    Attained third-round investment

    of USD35 million

    Acquired Ouku

    Attained second-round investment of USD11.27

    million in 2009

    The second warehouse in Suzhou

    Established VIIE

  • 25 25

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    Lightinthebox: Difference Between Purchasing and Selling Price

    As a foreign trade B2C website, the main operation pattern of Lightinthebox is selling goods made in China to oversea individuals.

    Currently, its profits come from the price difference between product purchasing and selling. In May 2014, Lightinthebox released its

    strategy of global fashion open end platform, that is, it attracts businesses around the country to its platform and promises to

    provide them with four services consisting of glocalization, order fulfillment, customer service and open data. Concerning income

    pattern, Lightinthebox takes certain proportion of sales as its income instead of charging annual fee. So far, the price difference of

    self-support goods accounts for the biggest part of its income.

    Self-operation: Difference Between

    Purchasing and Selling Price

    Purchase: bypassing middlemen,

    70% of goods are purchased directly

    from manufacturers to save

    purchasing cost.

    Sales: it purchases goods directly from manufacturers in China at low

    prices and sells them to consumers at

    oversea market prices, which

    generates high gross profit.

    Gross profit: in Q3 2014, the net revenues of Lightinthebox rose to

    USD99 million at a fast pace and the

    gross profit grew to USD36.65 million

    at a stable growth rate. While

    maintaining certain gross profit,

    Lightinthebox expanded its scale to

    gain scale effect.

    Platform: Commission

    Potential clients: domestic

    traditional offline brand owners,

    online brand owners and foreign

    trade manufacturers.

    Categories: only apparel, mainly ready-made clothes but not

    wedding dresses, the key product

    of Lightinthebox. More categories

    are likely to be operated when the

    platform gets mature in the future.

    Charging pattern: Lightinthebox obtains 15% of sales from

    merchants without annual fee.

  • 26 26

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    Lightinthebox: Supply Chain + Online Marketing + Localization

    Online marketing: accurate online marketing

    technology penetrating into target market by promotion means including socialized marketing, search

    engine, display ads, etc. Lightinthebox shifts from online

    marketing to brand building and seeks a balance

    between product promotion and mobile business.

    Marketing expense: Lightinthebox invests equally in

    Google, SNS like Facebook, local Internet associations,

    etc. for marketing. The marketing efficiency is improved

    at lower expenses.

    Oversea warehousing: Lightinthebox has established

    warehouses in Europe and North American and

    warehouse in South America is under planning.

    Overseas office: it set up an overseas office in the US

    in early 2014

    Staff and service: it employs local people in America,

    Spain, Poland, etc. It also employs local staff to localize

    customer service, serving more than 20 countries.

    Localized marketing: it builds and strengthens brand

    popularity and reputation in local market through local

    Internet associations and socialized marketing.

    Supply chain: Lightinthebox purchases products from

    manufacturers and sells them to consumers directly, which

    achieves the shortest supply chain from factories to websites and then consumers. This pattern helps it to earn

    higher gross profit.

    Supply chain management: on one hand, to provide

    more various goods on the website, Lightinthebox seeks

    cooperation with more suppliers and keeps enriching the

    category of goods. On the other hand, it engages suppliers

    in the supply chain and makes them update the products

    actively so as to accelerate the update of goods on the

    website.

    Customized goods: Lightinthebox trains suppliers ability to coordinate production in advance. Suppliers produce

    according to demands. After receiving an order, products

    will be produced within 10 to 14 days and then delivered to

    Lightintheboxs warehouse. For customized standard products, suppliers usually deliver them to Lightintheboxs warehouse within 48 hours. Besides, Lightinthebox

    established wedding dress design center to enhance

    design capacity.

    Standard products: some suppliers are required to

    produce goods in advance and store them in

    Lightintheboxs warehouse. By this way, its more efficient to deal with orders and effectively avoid inventory risk.

    Online Marketing

    Localization

    Supply Chain

  • 27 27

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    OSell: A Cross-border E-commerce O2O Platform

    OSell was established in 2009. It mainly sells goods like electronic products, apparel and gardening products in six major regions Russia, Brazil, India, Europe, America and Australia. It has more than 10 branches in America, Canada, Japan, Australia, etc. Its one of the biggest cross-border e-commerce O2O platforms in China, owning nearly a thousand employees from China and

    overseas. OSell has more than 1,000 local sales channels around the world, more than 20 oversea warehouses, over 50 logistic

    channel cooperators and more than 70 payment means.

    2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

    Was established

    Obtained the first-round venture

    capital in January

    Launched Groupbuy Promoted its own payment

    tool Dino Wallet

    O2O business entered Russia, Brazil and India

    Access to cross-border e-commerce customs clearance

    service platform of GACC and

    Pingtan

    Cross-border e-commerce O2O conference

    The first publicly supervised warehouse in China was built

    in Dongguan

    Launched 18985, a domestic

    suppliers platform

    Established cloud warehouse

    Finished first-round financing in January

    Finished third-round financing in September

  • 28 28

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    OSell: Difference Between Purchasing and Selling Price + Service Fee OSell adopts the cross-border O2O model. Concerning product supply, besides purchasing for self-run business, it attracts

    businesses on 18985, a domestic supplier platform, and OSell cross-border O2O association for its platform business. Chinese

    suppliers can launch new products, manage orders and clients and accomplish payments with e-wallet on 1898 platform. Also, they

    can promote goods to oversea retailing market by participating in cross-border O2O online trading association. Concerning product

    selling, it adopts OSell cross-border O2O platform for overseas business and establishes and integrates oversea retailing system,

    which improves after-sale service greatly. Overall, OSell has two profit models: (1) self-run business mainly earns profits from the

    price difference between purchasing and selling products; (2) platform business mainly makes profits by charging service fees.

    Self-run: Difference Between Purchasing

    and Selling Price

    Category: popular categories include apparel, shoes and accessories, mobile

    phone, tablet, Internet items, automobile

    and motorcycle accessories, camera,

    video camera, etc.

    Sales: OSell gains profits by purchasing goods directly from manufacturers in

    China at a low price and selling them to

    overseas consumers or businesses at an

    overseas market price.

    Platform: Service Fee

    Cloud warehouse service: OSell provides services including receiving

    cargo, pre-process activities like

    sorting, printing code and goods

    inspection, delivery and storage. Fees

    are charged according to goods

    weight, quantity or service time.

    Other services: fees are charged for services like transnational trade

    settlement and customs clearance

    agency.

    Supplier

    Supplier

    Supply

    Goods

    Registration

    Self-run

    Business

    18985

    Platform OSell

    Overseas

    Consumer Do

    mes

    tic

    Ove

    rse

    as

    Dinodirect

    Overseas

    Retailer

    Osell Cross-

    border O2O

    Association

    Supplier

    Registration Osell Cross-

    border O2O

    Association Overseas O2O Exhibition

    Overseas

    Retailer

    Offline O2O Store N1

    Offline O2O Store N2 Offline O2O Store Nn

  • 29 29

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    OSell: Cross-border O2O + Cloud Warehouse + Localized Operation

    Cloud warehouse: Osells transnational e-commerce storage and delivery solution covers receiving cargo, sorting, goods

    inspection, printing code, storing and delivering. Sellers send

    products to the warehouse where the products will be packed

    and shipped. Besides the basic services above, cloud warehouse

    provides value-added services such as weighing, taking pictures

    of products and parcels, customized package, etc., in order to

    satisfy different clients needs.

    Storage: OSell has warehouses in Yangze Delta and Pearl River Delta. The total area of the two big warehouses in Shenzhen is

    30 thousand square meters. It has a publicly supervised

    warehouse in Dongguan which links up with customs as well as

    inspection and quarantine departments to complete one-stop

    customs clearance. In Heilongjiang, it has cooperative delivery

    centers which facilitate foreign trade companies to explore

    Russian market. In addition, it also has warehouses in Russia,

    India, Britain, America, Australia, and so on.

    Delivery: its delivery service reaches more than 200 countries around the world and it is not limited by weight, volume and sea

    route congestion in busy seasons.

    Advantages: it helps Chinese manufacturers and merchants to conduct localized selling in overseas market by reducing logistic

    costs. Meanwhile, real time inventory management and

    supervision can be achieved. It takes less time to receive goods,

    which improves buyers satisfaction.

    Office: overseas sales offices are established in Moscow, Sao Paulo, New Delhi, Montreal,

    Canberra, etc., owning more than 200 foreign

    employees who are in charge of sales and

    promotion in overseas market.

    Channel and storage: OSell has more than 1,000 local sales channels around the world

    and over 20 overseas warehouses.

    Cross-border O2O Cloud Warehouse

    Localized Operation

    Model: OSell is a pioneer and leader of cross-border O2O. It connects domestic suppliers via

    18985 and cross-border O2O online trading

    association and establishes and integrates

    global retailing network through OSell. In the

    form of cross-border O2O exhibition and offline

    experience shop, it sells Chinese goods to

    oversea retailing market and builds a platform

    providing service and customization.

    Advantages: OSell solves the delivery problem of Chinese suppliers when selling in global

    market and guarantees services and credits

    while overseas retailers purchasing from China.

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    Development Environment of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    China Cross-border E-commerce Industry Chain

    Status Quo of China Cross-border E-commerce

    Typical Cases and Business Models

    1

    2

    3

    4

    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce 5

  • 31 31

    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Characteristics: Participants, Industry Chain and Brand Operation

    After developing for more than a decade, China cross-border e-commerce has experienced the periods of information publishing,

    transaction platform and the current booming of B2C. It shows different characteristics in each stage. Since two years ago, as the

    public pays increasing attention to cross-border e-commerce and participants commit to the sector, there are some new

    characteristics, including the following aspects:

    Before 2012, micro and small businesses, individual merchants and online merchants were the main participants. Since 2013, the main participators in traditional trade like foreign trade companies, manufacturers and brand owners began to enter this sector and have gradually formed certain scale.

    Participants

    Steps like marketing, customs clearance, commodity inspection, logistics and payment may affect the development of cross-border e-commerce. Concerning that, cross-border e-commerce companies keep expanding their services and try to provide integrated services by combining various resources. With the emergence of new service providers, the whole industry chain and the service chain of the industry are getting clearer and sounder.

    Industry Chain

    By taking Chinas advantage in manufacturing, selling cheap but good-quality goods and OEM were the main patterns of early cross-border e-commerce. In recent two years, many companies start running their own brand. Especially some big companies begin to build their own platforms to introduce their brands to oversea market and increase their value.

    Brand Operation

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    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Problems: Products, Logistics, Customs Clearance, etc.

    Severe homogeneity of products: in the recent two years, the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce has attracted

    many businesses, resulting in fierce competition in the sector. Some products like 3C products and accessories are popular and

    profitable, so many cross-border e-commerce companies are selling them. Some of these companies even compete with very low

    price.

    Brand advantage is yet to be built: the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce greatly relies on Chinas manufacturing advantages and low product price. Many products like 3C products and apparel in cross-border e-commerce are produced by

    small factories. Hence there are problems in quality control and most cross-border e-commerce companies have not built their own

    brands yet.

    Time-consuming and unstable logistics: related policies in different countries vary greatly, so unlike domestic e-commerce,

    cross-border e-commerce cannot deal with logistics by building the companies own logistic systems. Logistics of cross-border e-commerce is time-consuming. For instance, it usually takes 7 to 15 days to reach America and Europe, and even longer to reach

    South America, Brazil and Russia (25-35 days). Apart from that, the delivery time is uncertain sometimes, so it may take 7 or even

    20 days to receive the goods.

    Difficulty in customs clearance and exchange settlement: as cross-border trade tends to be conducted in small volume, B2B

    companies of small-volume trade also face problems of customs clearance as B2C companies. Since small-volume B2B and B2C

    cross-border e-commerce is different from common exporting, it has to face the difficulties in quick customs clearance, exchange

    settlement and tax reimbursement. Although the authorities adopt a customs clearance pattern of checklist verification and consolidated declaration for B2C businesses, many small and medium businesses engaging in small-volume B2B foreign trade do not get benefits. In terms of importing, problems are as follows: importing from illegal channels to elude customs regulation,

    difficulty in identifying the quality of imported commodities, and insufficient protections of consumer interest, etc.

    Shortage of cross-border e-commerce talents: the reasons are: (1) limitation of language: most cross-border e-commerce

    talents are English majors, but markets in Brazil, India, Russia, Arab and Mongolia are so potential that talents speaking those

    languages are needed. (2) High requirements for capacity: besides language, talents in cross-border e-commerce should have

    knowledge about home and overseas markets, transaction modes, consuming habits, etc. In addition, they should learn the trading

    rules and characteristics of major platforms. Therefore, its common to see shortage of cross-border e-commerce talents.

    Different trading models in cross-border e-commerce lead to different problems. Block export and import deals conducted in traditional

    trading models still need paper documents, which hinders the convenience of trade and application of e-commerce in trade. For

    fragmented trade, there are also some industrial problems related to products, logistics and customs clearance.

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    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Trend : Diversified Commodities and Markets New characteristics of cross-border E-commerce are emerging: more categories of traded products and wider range regions of

    trading objects.

    Concerning the category of products, categories extend from easily-transported products including apparel, 3C, computer and accessory, household and gardening product, jewelry, auto parts, food and drug, etc. to products with large volume like furniture

    and automobile. According to eBays data, three categories with the fastest growth on eBay are: household and gardening, auto parts and fashion. Moreover, 71% of big sellers plan to enrich the current category and 64% of big sellers plan to expand to other

    product lines. Providing more product categories is the major technique to expand business scope. More categories will create a

    closer relationship between Chinese products and global consumers daily life, and help cross-border E-commerce capture the cross-border online shopping groups with the strongest purchasing power. According to iResearch, E-commerce is playing an

    increasingly important role in daily life. Solutions to science and technology as well as logistics are getting more innovative. Thus,

    product categories covered by cross-border E-commerce retailing exporting industry will keep increasing in the future.

    Concerning target markets, mature markets represented by America, Britain, Germany and Australia will continue to grow fast and still be the major target markets for cross-border E-commerce retailing exporting industry, which is a result of popular cross-

    border online shopping notions, mature consuming habits, regulated business and comprehensive logistics facilities. Meanwhile,

    the growing markets are the new driving force for cross-border E-commerce retailing exporting industry: 1. Although E-commerce

    is developing in countries like Russia, Brazil and India, consumers there have a strong demand for consuming, so in those

    markets, low price and good quality are competitive advantages of products made in China. 2. A multitude of companies are

    exploring Southeast Asian market. Indonesia is the most populous country in Southeast Asia and the fourth in the world. E-

    commerce giants like eBay, Amazon, Rakuten have started entering Indonesian market. 3. In regions like Central and Eastern

    Europe, Middle East and Africa, E-commerce is still at the early stage and is believed to achieve great breakthroughs in the

    future.

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    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce Trend : Larger Share of B2C, Co-development of B2B and B2C The improvement of international trade infrastructure and emergence of new technologies in logistics, finance and the Internet lead to

    changes in international trade. One of the most significant changes is a greater diversity of ways by which products move from factories to

    consumers. Companies are paying more attention to cross-border B2C e-commerce which booms in recent two years, and dominant

    advantages attribute to the rise: (1) High profits: compared to traditional cross-border trading pattern, B2C bypasses all intermediate

    process and finds the shortest way between factory and product, which generates high profits. (2) Good for brand building: OEM is no

    longer what domestic manufacturing and trade companies want. Some Chinese brand owners want to go out by attempting cross-border e-commerce. B2C helps them adjust to overseas market and introduce products made and designed in China to the world. (3)

    Satisfying market demands: facing consumers directly does good to meeting market demands and providing customized services. (4)

    Broad market: block trade usually deals with traditional products and has single market. Different from that, small B2C trade is more

    flexible and selling is not bound by territoriesreaching more than 200 countries and regions. The bigger market efficiently releases the competition pressure in a single market.

    According to iResearch, B2C is moving on a smoother way, because of the development of logistics and Internet technology and some

    favorable policies. B2C will take a bigger share of the whole market. As a main trend in global trade, B2C will still be the most important

    pattern for Chinese companies to explore overseas market, so it will grow together with B2B.

    Cross-border B2C provides opportunities for Chinese manufacturing and export companies to explore new business. However, the

    volume of B2C orders is small and unstable, so it cannot satisfy

    manufacturers need for scale production. In addition, B2C companies are also facing market demand cycle, high marketing

    costs, difficulty in acquiring users and competition with overseas

    shopping websites.

    As the main trend of global trade, B2B will still be the most important pattern for Chinese companies to explore overseas market. On the

    other hand, as an effective way to be closer to consumers, B2C is

    important for Chinese companies to build their brands in a shorter

    time. B2B and B2C are complementary to each other despite of

    differences. They are both good tool to explore overseas market.

    B2B B2C

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    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Trend : Great Potential in Mobile Business The development of mobile Internet technology blurs the line between online and offline commerce. The whole-channel shopping will grow quickly focusing on the Internet, seamless link and multi-screen. (1) Concerning B2C, mobile shopping enables consumer

    to shop anywhere and anytime, which greatly stimulates market demands and provides more opportunities for cross-border e-

    commerce of export retailing. (2) Concerning B2B, the trend of small volume and fragmentation of global trade is noticeable.

    Transnational transaction can be achieved seamlessly thanks to mobile Internet technology. Sellers can upload pictures of products

    in warehouse or factory in the daytime to do instant selling. At night, they can reply offers and affirm orders. Via mobile Internet,

    communication between buyer and seller is very convenient.

    Potential of mobile cross-border e-commerce: Development of mobile cross-border e-commerce is related to

    the development of the Internet in different countries. For

    developed markets like America, the sound Internet environment

    guarantees sufficient space for cross-border e-commerce to shift

    from PC to mobile devices. In some emerging markets, e-

    commerce there is several years behind China. For instance, in

    Russia, South East Asia and Africa, a large number of users

    enter mobile cross-border e-commerce market without entering

    the PC one first. Mobile cross-border e-commerce will make

    more profits in those markets.

    Cross-border e-commerce companies mobile business: Cross-border e-commerce companies are experiencing a fast

    development in mobile business. By June 2014, visits on mobile

    DHgate.com accounted for 42% of the platforms total visits and orders on mobile DHgate.com increased by 215% at a year-on-

    year growth rate. Lightinthebox thought mobile business was the

    driving force for revenues, so it adopted a multi-app strategy for

    its mobile business. As a result, in Q2 2014, orders on mobile

    devices accounted for 28.2% of the total orders, increasing by

    11.4% compared to Q2 2013. Mobile and PC platforms will

    interact further with each other through combined purchasing.

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    Characteristics and Trends of China Cross-border

    E-commerce

    Trend : Better Industry Ecology and Synergic Development of Different Parts

    Cross-border e-commerce includes flows of material, information, capital and document. As cross-border e-commerce economy is developing, supporting enterprises, including software companies, third-party service companies, online payment companies,

    logistics companies, etc., start clustering around cross-border e-commerce companies. Services provided by those supporting

    companies include online shop decoration, translation and description of pictures, website operation, marketing, logistics, refunding

    and exchanging commodities, financial services, quality inspection, insurance, etc. The whole industry is having a sounder ecology

    system and clearer division of work. The current cross-border e-commerce service sector is effectively boosting the cross-border e-

    commerce industry.

    Concerning logistics, to cater to cross-border e-commerce, cost-saving, fast and safe logistics services providing more after-sale

    services are borne. There are also lots of logistics integrators, such as logistics service providers focusing on overseas

    warehousing in cross-border e-commerce. Companies like 4PX Express and CK1 have put emphasis on combining logistics and

    supply chain. If having overseas warehouse, small-volume cross-border delivery usually takes 1 to 30 days. This period can be

    greatly shortened by combining different shipping means according to different buyers demand. In addition, sellers will be more competitive in international trade with the perfection of their overseas warehouses.

    Concerning financial services, State Administration of Foreign Exchange granted pilot licenses of foreign currency payment in

    cross-border e-commerce to 17 third-party payment agencies in China, which diversifies payment and propels cross-border e-

    commerce. Focusing on transaction process, eBay, a cross-border e-commerce platform, launched cross-border insurance

    products by cooperating with China Pacific Insurance Company and Bank of China Insurance. Concerning Internet finance, some

    financial institutions like Bank of China and Ping An Financial Science provide fiduciary loans without collateral for cross-border e-

    commerce companies, which releases financing pressure of small and medium enterprises.

    Besides, the spring up of companies providing third-party services and marketing service makes the whole industry and supporting

    facilities more comprehensive.

    E-commerce platform is not enough for cross-border e-commerce. It needs upstream guide of information technology and

    downstream support of logistics. To change the traditional business pattern and realize fast growth, cross-border e-commerce

    needs strong support from information flow, capital flow and logistics.

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    Legal Notice

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    laws and regulations on intellectual property rights in the Peoples Republic of China. No organization or individual is allowed to use

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    Data related to operators revenues and market forecasts are mainly obtained through interviews related to the industry, marketing

    survey, secondary sources and other research methods, some of which have not been directly confirmed by the related operators.

    Some data published in this report is based on sampling method and is therefore influenced by sample structure. Due to the

    limitation of research method, sample size and scope of data collection, part of the data may not precisely reflect real market

    situation. This report is for reference only and iResearch is not liable for the accuracy of the data in this report.

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    Definition of Cross-border E-commerceChina Foreign Trade Conditions in 2013traditional trade and cross country e-com trade difference- ChartPolicies on CustomsExploration of Customs Clearance of Express and MailExploration of Import BusinessChina Cross-border E-commerce Industry ChainHistory of Chinas Cross-border E-Commerce PlatformShare of Import and Export in China Cross-border E-commerceDHLightintheboxOSellOSell- Cloud warehouseCharacteristics: Problems: Products, Logistics, Customs Clearance, etc.Market diversification