Creating a B2C (Business to Consumers) website in China becomes increasing easy nowadays with free eCommerce web templates being available to start with.  The die is cast, as the first hurdle (basic but usable website platform) has been removed, many small B2C websites spring up in South China region ever since.

Product pages on these small B2C websites are largely in line with western style, meeting users expectations with the following items:

  • Matching query words
  • Photos or graphic with textual information such as product specifications and prices 
  • Call-to-action button
  • User reviews
  • Related Products and Recommendations

Then it comes to the next level – how to stand out from the crowd, enhancing their own B2C websites visibility and find ability. Online marketing initiatives including  paid search and search engine optimization come at play at this stage. 

While talking to a couple of traditional manufacturers and suppliers who kicked off their small websites for trial, TG learnt that the stumbling blocks also fall under the categories of communication with oversea buyers, site’s credibility and payment.   

It’s not easy to sustain a B2C website in China since we only have a small team of staff – less than 20 people, and there are many competitors around, a supplier said. 

We are trying to build a Porsche, but now its exterior is made of paper and we need to equip it with real engines and steel. It takes time and effort to have a real Porsche, he’s joking but he probably telling the truth!

China B2C websites start off like paper Porsche - Kelikuru.com

China small B2C website owner wants to change his site from a paper Prosche to a real Porsche - photo courtesy of CRI.com

Despite the fast growing small B2C site operators, large China B2C websites are stepping up their efforts to expand their market shares:  Latest development includes:

  1. China largest B2C Taobao.com partnership with Yahoo Japan
  2. Baidu (百度) and Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten planned US50 million investment 
  3. Taoabo mall/city expansion in electronic and household appliance 
  4. 360buy.com (京东商城) will recieve US150 million new funding in total from Tiger Global Management

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