SELLING TO

CHINA THROUGH
CROSS-BORDER
E-COMMERCE
A HANDY GUIDE FOR
BUSINESSES 2020

by Ashley Galina Dudarenok

2 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Ashley Galina Dudarenok is the founder of Alarice and ChoZan.

ChoZan - your business school for digital China.

• Presenter of the world’s top 2-day Chinese digital marketing
training program for entrepreneurs and teams
• Keynote speaker on topics related to modern Chinese consum-
ers, digital marketing and New Retail
• Custom-made corporate trainings
• Tailored consultations

Products:
• Social media video masterclasses: A certificate course you can
take at home giving you the latest insights and tools to advance
your marketing career
• The China Marketing Circle: This private group delivers cu-
rated news, updates, trends and case studies in Chinese social
media. It’s the only group you’ll need to stay on top of your
China digital marketing game.

Alarice - your China digital marketing agency.

• Specialists in China digital marketing strategy development
• Chinese social media marketing project execution
 CONTENTS 3

Contents
Introduction 4

Chapter 1 6
The Cross-border E-commerce Landscape

Chapter 2 11
How to Enter the World’s Largest E-market

Chapter 3 23
What are the Rules?

Chapter 4 30
Social E-commerce and We-commerce

Chapter 5 39
E-commerce Shopping Festivals

Conclusion 47

Resources 49
4 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Introduction

C hina is a huge market with great potential.

It’s unique, sophisticated, hyper-compet-
itive and it’s not easy to succeed. Despite the
challenges, international brands of all kinds are
eager to get access to over 1.4 billion Chinese
consumers.

If you’ve decided that it’s time for your compa-

ny to take its next big step and dive in, the good
news is that it’s not necessary to set up shop in
China to sell your products there. E-commerce
is a way of life in China and by the end of 2019,
e-commerce sales are forecast by some to ex-
pand 27.3%, reaching $1.935 trillion USD. This
represents 36.6% of total retail sales in the coun-
try.

Cross-border e-commerce can blur geographical

borders so we’ve created this mini-book to help
marketers better understand major online sales
 INTRODUCTION 5

channels for cross-border e-commerce in 2019.

You’ll find out about key players to watch and
major e-commerce shopping festivals. We’ll dive
into information that will empower you to take
action and make wise decisions when it comes
to your marketing budget.

In the past 8 years, I’ve worked with over 300

brands helping them tap into China. Since 2016,
I’ve been a speaker at over 90 events and run my
signature Chinese social media masterclasses
across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. You’re
in safe hands.

Learn more about my China digital marketing

trainings at chozan.co and get all the details
about my social media marketing agency ser-
vices at alarice.com.hk.
6 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

CHA P TER 1

The Cross-border
E-commerce
Landscape

I t’s hard to believe, but in early 2000, China had

the world’s largest population but accounted
for less than 1% of global e-commerce. China
still tops the board with the world’s largest pop-
ulation but now its dominance in online com-
merce is unquestionable.

Cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) is the pur-

chasing of products online from internation-
al retailers that don’t have physical stores or a
business entity in China. This kind of shopping
is attractive because wealthy, middle class con-
sumers want new items that aren’t available in
 THE CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE LANDSCAPE 7

China yet. There’s also a perception that prod-

ucts available on cross-border e-commerce plat-
forms are higher quality and are guaranteed to
be genuine because the brands are established
and authorized abroad. On top of that, items are
exempt from import taxes under certain condi-
tions so prices can be significantly lower than for
items imported the usual way.

CBEC is widely used in China and 26% of

cross-border consumers are high frequency pur-
chasers. In addition, an increase in the tax-free
cross-border purchase amount means opportu-
nities in this area are set to expand. As of January
1, 2019, people can make single transactions of
up to 5,000 RMB and make yearly transactions of
up to 26,000 RMB without incurring import tar-
iffs. The regulation also applies to goods shipped
from Hong Kong or free trade zones in China.

China’s Key CBEC Platforms

The Big Two Under One Roof: Tmall Global and

Kaola
Tmall Global is Alibaba’s cross-border e-com-
merce platform and it had been the top CBEC
player for some time. In 2017, CBNData es-
timated its market share at 27.6%. In second
place was Kaola, NetEase’s CBEC platform with
8 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

an estimated 20.5% market share. However, in

mid-2018, iiMedia placed Kaola out in front with
26.2% of the market and Tmall Global in second
place with 22.4%.

This may have spurred Alibaba’s next move. In

September, 2019, Alibaba acquired Kaola from
NetEase for a reported $2 billion USD. This ex-
tends Alibaba’s dominance, giving it control
over the top two players and almost 49% of the
cross-border e-commerce market in China.

The other key players, with their market share as

of mid-2018* are:
3 JD Worldwide (13.4%)
4 VIP International (12.5%)
5 Xiaohongshu / RED (6%)
6 Yangmatou / Ymatou (4.2%)
7 Mia (2.8%)
8 Others (12.5%)

In the “Others” group are platforms such as Am-

azon Global, Suning Global, Jumei Duty Free
Shop, Fengqu.com and Daling.

*Source: iiMedia
 THE CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE LANDSCAPE 9

A Brief Overview of CBEC Products and Consum-

ers
The top platforms in CBEC specialize in beauty
products, apparel, luxury items, electronics and
maternity and infant care products. Cosmetics
(84%), apparel and footwear (82%) and electron-
ic products (74%) are the most popular CBEC
purchases. Consumers of all ages are also buying
more food online, indicating a growth poten-
tial for this category, especially for organic food
items from abroad.

The average frequency of cross-border purchas-

ing is 15 times per year or more than one pur-
chase per month and 26% are high-frequency
purchasers who have completed more than 20
cross-border purchases in a year.

What are they looking for? According to surveys,

most are seeking authentic products with guar-
anteed quality (69%), a larger selection of prod-
ucts (58%), well-known, trustworthy platforms
(66%) and convenient payment methods (54%).

If you’re wondering how to get into the China

market, have urgent questions about cross-bor-
der e-commerce or want to hone your digital
media presence in China, contact us at natalia@
alarice.com.hk to schedule a consultation.
10 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

If you’re wondering how to get into the China mar-

ket, have urgent questions about cross-border e-com-
merce or want to hone your digital media presence
in China, contact us at [email protected] to
schedule a consultation.
 HOW TO ENTER THE WORLD’S LARGEST E-MARKET 11

CH AP TER 2

How to Enter the

World’s Largest
E-Market

C BEC is the most popular China market entry

model for brands, and continues to grow,
but entrepreneurs need to stay alert for changing
rules and regulations, which we’ll get to in Chap-
ter 3. Brands must also set up online payment
gateways that Chinese consumers can access
easily, such as Alipay or WeChat Pay, because
international credit cards and payment systems
such as PayPal are not widely used in China. Pay-
pal now has a license to provide digital payment
services in China but this is through Chinese
payment company GoPay, which is recently ac-
quired a majority stake in. Brands doing CBEC
12 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

also have to invest in marketing.

What are the options for entry or exposure when

you don’t have a physical office or store in main-
land China? Let’s take a look.

The Six Options for Online Sales in Mainland Chi-

na:

1 An Official Website Based Outside of China

Most international brands have their own offi-
cial website that’s set up outside of China. This
makes it easy for the brand to manage and main-
tain. However, this option has several major
drawbacks. First, as the servers are not in China,
it may be difficult for users to access. With the
competition of large e-commerce platforms in
China that online shoppers are used to, it’s hard
to drive traffic to the site. On top of that, without
a legal business entity in China, they can’t adver-
tise using traditional channels.

Another huge disadvantage is the challenge in

delivering customer service. As all the services
are located outside of China, it’s difficult for
brands to provide quality after-sales service, re-
funds and product exchanges. The incompati-
bility with Chinese payment methods may stop
potential buyers from purchasing and there are
 HOW TO ENTER THE WORLD’S LARGEST E-MARKET 13

also risks in the delivery process.

It’s easy for brands to manage their own web-

sites outside of China, but without hosting in
China, the website will experience slow loading
and display delays. Meanwhile, brands need to
spend time and resources to build the whole
buying journey for Chinese consumers, from
payment to delivery to after-sales service which
is even more difficult without a flagship store or
business entity in China.

2 An Outlet on a Popular Online Mall

There are large online malls in China, such as
Taobao and Tmall, which are extremely popular.
They may seem like an easy option but let’s see
how they work in reality.

There’s a common misconception in the West

that Taobao and Tmall are the same but that’s
not really the case. Taobao and Tmall are both
operated by the Alibaba Group but they use dif-
ferent underlying models. Taobao is a customer
to customer (C2C) platform for individual ven-
dors while Tmall is a business to customer (B2C)
platform for official manufacturers, brands or
organizations that have a legal entity in China.
To open an online store on Taobao, Tmall or
JD.com, you need to be a Chinese national or
14 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

have a legal business entity in China.

As an option for foreign brands and manufac-

turers outside of the country, some e-commerce
platforms have been developed specifically for
cross-border shopping, such as Tmall Global,
Kaola, JD Worldwide and Xiaohongshu/RED.
Tmall Global currently has around 20,000 inter-
national brands from 77 countries and regions
and it wants to expand even more.

Some platforms only work with certain brands

on an invitation basis or require lengthy, com-
plicated application procedures. However, some
platforms, such as Tmall Global, have worked
to streamline this process for foreign brands. In
June, 2019, they launched an English language
site for international brands to apply to join the
platform. Businesses wanting to open a flagship
store can fill out a questionnaire for pre-screen-
ing and be notified within 72 hours if they quali-
fy. The platform also advises merchants on how
to optimize their operations once they’re on the
platform.

These platforms can provide a great deal of ac-

cess, but online stores on these malls can require
high setup fees and commissions. Brands may
also need to pay extra advertising and marketing
 HOW TO ENTER THE WORLD’S LARGEST E-MARKET 15

costs.

3 Online Hypermarkets
Unlike the online malls introduced above, online
hypermarkets use a business to business to cus-
tomer (B2B2C) model. These online hypermar-
kets operate as intermediaries. They purchase a
wide range of goods from overseas suppliers or
manufacturers at wholesale price and sell them
at retail making their profit from the markup.
They’re different from online malls in other ways
as well.

Online hypermarkets do not have individual on-

line storefronts for overseas brands to manage.
The storage and distribution of products to buy-
ers is also managed by the hypermarket. Well-
known online hypermarkets for CBEC in China
include Kaola and Jumei.

Similar to outlets in online malls, while these

platforms can provide a great deal of access, they
require high set up fees and commissions and
also require advertising and marketing.

4 Vertical Specialty Marketplaces

These platforms operate like online hypermar-
kets and also purchase goods directly from over-
seas suppliers or manufacturers. However, they
16 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

generally only focus on a specific product cate-

gory, target audience or location.

As their product catalogue is limited, the market

on such platforms is rather niche and the con-
sumer traffic is relatively low. On the other hand,
these platforms are quite popular with their tar-
get audience. One example is beibei.com, which
is a specialty marketplace for maternity, infant
and child care products. Xiaohongshu is anoth-
er example of this kind of cross-border e-com-
merce platform. It allows Chinese users to check
out and purchase overseas products posted by
other users, including cosmetics, skin care prod-
ucts, nutrition-related items, parenting products
and more. In-depth product descriptions and re-
views can also be found on the platform. Other
popular specialty retail platforms include Mogu-
jie and Meilishuo which both focus on fashion
and beauty.

Similar to online malls and hypermarkets, while

these platforms can provide a great deal of ac-
cess, setting up an online store on these malls
require high initial fees and commissions and
advertising and marketing costs need to be taken
into account.

5 Flash Sales Platforms

 HOW TO ENTER THE WORLD’S LARGEST E-MARKET 17

Flash sales platforms offer a limited number

of new or surplus products at highly discount-
ed prices for a brief time. These platforms are
a good choice for overseas manufacturers or
brands who want to test the reaction of Chinese
consumers before mass producing an item or
rolling it out on a larger scale.

At the same time, flash sales are an irresistible

marketing technique that can lead to huge ex-
posure. They’re a good way for a newcomer to
earn some recognition at an early stage. The
most most popular flash sales platform in China
is Vip.com.

These platforms can provide a great deal of ac-

cess and a large pool of customers. They may
also help increase brand recognition. However,
brands don’t often make a profit on these sites
and customers are sometimes reluctant to pay
more after being introduced to a product at a
discount price. In addition, brands may lose
customers if they move to a different platform.
These platforms have the same issues with setup
fees, commissions and extra costs for advertising
as the other types of platforms.

6 Social Media
WeChat is the most used app in China. Many
18 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

brands and manufacturers have not only opened

an official WeChat account for mass broadcast-
ing and customer service but also set up their
own WeChat mini program and store for direct
sales on the platform. Mini programs are small
apps that work within the WeChat app and they
can be used to do e-commerce. They’re also
good for customer relationship management
(CRM) and sales promotion as it’s integrated in
the WeChat system and linked with an official
account.

WeChat is a semi-closed platform, which makes

it a bit hard to grow followers in a short time.
While WeChat is the best known social media
channel for China market entry, it’s not the only
one. Some brands enter through live streaming
on Weibo and T-mall, while others work with
bloggers that sell their products on commission.
Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Douyin and Bilibili also
offer opportunities for brands to broadcast mes-
sages and increase brand awareness through co-
operations with key opinion leaders (KOLs).

Getting Started

Chinese consumers may be reluctant to pur-

chase your products when they see them at first
because they likely know nothing about your
 HOW TO ENTER THE WORLD’S LARGEST E-MARKET 19

brand. Therefore, a presence on social media is

good for brand awareness and product promo-
tion. Prior to setting up an official account on
major platforms, it may be more useful to engage
KOLs such as celebrities, bloggers, experts, etc.
for some initial promotions.

To reach out to Chinese consumers and estab-

lish a closer relationship with them, a prominent
presence on Chinese social media is a must for
brands and companies, especially on the most
popular platforms – WeChat and Weibo.

Platforms
For brands that are doing cross-border e-com-
merce, they should have verified official accounts
on WeChat and Weibo. They can also look into
vertical platforms with a niche focus and e-com-
merce integration in order to promote products
and expand their sales channels. Good examples
of these are Xiaohongshu for fashion and beau-
ty brands, Babytree for parenting products and
Mafengwo for tourism.

Functions
One of the most important functions is to build
a database of potential customers so that brands
can communicate with them, build a commu-
nity and sell to them on social media. Sales are
20 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

important for these brands and products can be

promoted on social media with links to e-com-
merce sites or other online retailers. In the long
run, they might accumulate enough popularity
on social media that a local distributor will ap-
proach them for cooperation.

Content and community

These brands can organize regular sales-driven
campaigns to promote sales. KOL cooperation is
a great marketing tool for these brands. They can
pay KOLs to post brand information and product
recommendations with links to online sales plat-
forms. Sometimes, sales can be done through a
KOL’s personal online store as well.

Mini Programs and Live Streaming

Brands now have the option of building their
e-commerce platform using a mini program.
This brings low development costs and perfect
integration with WeChat Pay and the “Cards and
Offers” function. Since mini programs are built
into WeChat, stable traffic can also be ensured.
Mini programs can also be used to launch give-
aways, special offers, flash sales as well as UGC
(user-generated content) collection campaigns
to help boost sales or increase brand awareness.

As WeChat gradually allows developers to add

 HOW TO ENTER THE WORLD’S LARGEST E-MARKET 21

multimedia content in their mini programs, and

given the popularity of live streaming in Chi-
na, some vendors have even started doing live
streaming on mini programs to boost sales.

For example, Mogujie launched a mini program

that allows sellers to host live streams and sell.
Sellers launch live streams to showcase clothes
and accessories. If viewers are interested, they
can select the items, make an order and finish
payment within the mini program.

There are startups that now specialize in build-

ing mini programs for brands to suit their par-
ticular needs. But first, you’ll need an official
WeChat account.

As you can see there are plenty of options avail-

able for market entry, all with their pros and
cons. But no matter which entry model is cho-
sen, for brands who really want to make their
mark in China, a thorough understanding of Chi-
nese social media is essential.

Chinese e-commerce platforms, social media and the

KOLs who thrive on them are a big topic. If you want
to understand them better and are looking for cus-
tom-made training for your marketing team, touch
base with my team via email at [email protected].
22 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

If you want to increase your expertise at your own

pace in your own location, you can take our certifi-
cate video course online at https://chinamarketing-
masterclass.com/p/kol Use code [ASHLEY15] for a
15% discount.
 WHAT ARE THE RULES? 23

CH AP TER 3

What are the

Rules?

T he rules and regulations surrounding

cross-border e-commerce are constantly
changing. This is particularly so recently, given
ongoing trade issues between the US and China
and given continued growth in the sector.

In 2018, a number of updates to CBEC regula-

tions were made to facilitate the further growth
and development of the CBEC market. These
regulations expanded the CBEC retail import
system, adjusted tax policies and enhanced the
CBEC import supervision system. While they
offer foreign companies some new opportuni-
ties to expand their business in China, there are
some pitfalls to be aware of.
24 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Here’s a summary of the latest regulations, most

of which came into effect in January, April or July
2019.

• As of April 1st, 2019, CBEC enterprises must

be registered with the General Administration
of Customs (GAC). Since they have no legal en-
tity in China, they need a Chinese company to
act as their “Domestic Agent” and complete the
GAC registration. The Domestic Agent must be a
legal entity registered with the State Administra-
tion of Market Regulation (SAMR), and accepts
responsibility for consumer complaints, product
recalls, product quality and safety obligations,
truthful declarations to Chinese authorities and
bears jointly liability together with the CBEC en-
terprise.

• The responsibilities of CBEC enterprises in-

clude:
- bearing responsibility for the quality and safety
of their goods*
- protecting consumers’ rights and interests
- reminding and informing consumers regarding
possible different foreign standards of quality,
labeling, safety from Chinese ones

* Goods may include products with labels that

are not in Chinese but Chinese label translations
 WHAT ARE THE RULES? 25

must be available online. Goods are only for per-

sonal use and can’t be resold.

• Businesses required to comply with the new

laws include platform operators, operators on
platforms, online sellers and micro-businesses.

• More products are open to cross-border e-com-

merce in China, including luxury items under
5,000 RMB, such as high-end fashion and cos-
metics that appeal to cross-border purchasers.

• 63 new item categories were also added to the

list for permissible cross-border purchases, in-
cluding fitness equipment and healthcare prod-
ucts and there was a tariff cut on 1,585 imported
items.

• 37 cities (up from 15) are now included in the

cross-border tax rebate program: Beijing, Tian-
jin, Shanghai, Tangshan, Hohhot, Shenyang,
Dalian, Changchun, Harbin, Nanjing, Suzhou,
Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Yiwu, Hefei, Fuzhou,
Xiamen, Nanchang, Qingdao, Weihai, Zheng-
zhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Guangzhou, Shen-
zhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Nanning, Haikou,
Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang, Kunming, Xi’an,
Lanzhou and Pingtan.
26 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

• According to a statement released after the

State Council executive meeting in July 2019,
more cities will be encouraged to launch CBEC
pilot zones on top of the 37 existing zones and
more measures to further widen market access
in China’s CBEC pilot zones are being consid-
ered.

• The cut-off amounts for tax-free cross-border

purchases were increased. The single transac-
tion amount increased to 5,000 RMB and the
yearly amount is now 26,000 RMB. Consumers
who purchase within these limits don’t pay im-
port tariffs and import VAT and consumer tax is
calculated at 70% of the standard rate.

• Reselling products in China through Daigous

is illegal. Daigou are Chinese tourists who take
advantage of their travel to buy luxury goods or
other items that they then sell online when they
return to China.
• Domestic websites are required to offer great-
er protection for consumers. Merchants must
provide clear disclosure regarding special sales
clauses or bundling requirements placed on
sales.

• Brand owners now have greater legal protection

as well. E-commerce platforms are required to
 WHAT ARE THE RULES? 27

protect intellectual property rights and respond

to reports of violations in a timely manner. Com-
panies that fail to do so will face significant pen-
alties. Retailers are also required to obtain a busi-
ness license through the State Administration for
Industry and Commerce to further strengthen
protection of intellectual property.

• Unfair competition will be regulated. Market

participants with greater advantages are pro-
hibited from abusing their position by trying to
restrict competition or through imposing unrea-
sonable conditions or fees on merchants.

• Fake reviews are banned, including making

negative reviews about competitive businesses
or positive reviews written by customers who
are being paid for their comments. Social me-
dia, WeChat and other non-traditional shopping
channels must comply with the new rules.

Most of this is positive news and it’s clear that

Chinese officials are actively promoting the de-
velopment of cross-border e-commerce via reg-
ulatory means and also through warehouse lo-
gistics support, customs registration and goods
examination services. CBEC vendors will also re-
ceive support. China’s import market and inter-
nal consumption are expanding and the country
28 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

is very keen to leave behind its reputation as a

source of counterfeit goods.

However, more goods need to be registered with

the China’s Food and Drug Administration (Na-
tional Medical Products Administration) before
they’re imported. CBEC goods such as food, milk
powder, supplements, health products and cos-
metics will face tighter regulations amid com-
plaints about these products.

Since e-commerce platforms can be legally liable

for selling fake goods on their platform, platform
operators will need to complete due diligence to
ensure that the products sold on their platforms
are in compliance with the new regulatory re-
gime. For brands, failing to respond to reports of
violations can result in significant penalties.

This is a summary only. Because these rules can

have a huge impact on CBEC businesses and are
subject to change, it’s important to work with a
reputable e-commerce agency in China to en-
sure compliance.

If you want to stay up to date on the latest trends,

updates and changes in the mainland digital world
and e-commerce in China, subscribe to the China
Marketing Circle. It’s a private Whatsapp / WeChat
 WHAT ARE THE RULES? 29

group that delivers curated news, updates, trends,

case studies to China watchers, entrepreneurs and
marketing professionals. Send an email to cmc@
chozan.co mentioning this book for an extended free
trial of 1 month.
30 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

CHA P TER 4

Social E-commerce
and We-commerce

W hether it’s traditional media opening their

own online stores, or e-commerce sites
adding more editorial content and social fea-
tures, both sides are coming closer together in
the form of social e-commerce. It’s happening
everywhere but it’s a trend that’s even more ad-
vanced in China.

In the West, it’s more common to use an e-com-

merce site as the final stop when completing a
transaction, whereas in China, e-commerce
sites are destinations where you can make new
discoveries, acquire information, socialize with
others who can make informed recommenda-
tions and communicate with people who share
your interests or concerns.
 SOCIAL E-COMMERCE AND WE-COMMERCE 31

Social commerce has become very popular in

China because customer acquisition costs have
increased significantly on traditional platforms,
like Alibaba and JD.com, so brands and plat-
forms are looking for new ways to engage cus-
tomers.

It’s estimated that by the end of 2022, 15% of all

e-commerce in China will be social and it will be-
came a major force in online retail sales.

As more e-commerce outlets start adding a so-

cial element to their business model, three gen-
eral categories have emerged.

1 Content Sharing Platforms

The content sharing model is based on consum-
ers trust in other consumers, influencers, key
opinion leaders (KOLs) and key opinion con-
sumers (KOCs). Brands and retailers cooperate
with them to create content that informs poten-
tial buyers about their products and attempts
to guide their purchasing decisions. KOLs and
trusted consumers give products credibility and
desirability.

KOCs are a role specific to China and WeChat.

KOCs are personal accounts listed under some-
one’s name but they’re administered by brand
32 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

employees and WeChat users are aware of this

arrangement. These accounts publish informa-
tion, content marketing and many also do a wide
range of customer relationship management
tasks such as handling complaints, making prod-
uct orders, handling returns, issuing coupons,
promoting sales and more. This role was devel-
oped as a workaround on the highly influential
WeChat social media platform as it is built for
person to person contact so this method is not
only functional but also feels more personal and
can deliver the immediate action that many Chi-
nese consumers demand. It also enables a low
cost ad network as advertising rates on WeChat
are very high.

Over the past few years, content has progressed

from simple photographs with text and links to
short videos and live streaming with immediate
purchase options. E-commerce platforms typ-
ically monetize through fees for marketing ser-
vices or revenue from commissions on sales and
commissions are growing because of this focus
on short videos and live streaming.

Prime examples of content sharing platforms:

Xiaohongshu
Mogujie
 SOCIAL E-COMMERCE AND WE-COMMERCE 33

2 The Group Buying Model

This is the Groupon model. It can be further di-
vided into small group purchases and commu-
nity purchases. Small groups are usually groups
of friends or people who have similar needs or
interests who haven’t met in person. Commu-
nity purchases are made by people who live in
the same neighbourhood, complex or building.
Their ability to put in bulk orders enables them
to get large discounts.

Prime examples of group buying platforms:

Pinduoduo
Meituan
Meiri Youxian / Miss Fresh
Meiri Pinpin
Niwonin

3 Memberships
The membership-based model is a new form of
social e-commerce. Users can only join after get-
ting an invitation from members of the platform.
They then buy a package of products which func-
tions as their membership fee payment. After the
new user makes this purchase, they can start to
buy products on the platform at reduced prices.

Members can also earn benefits such as dis-

counts or coupons, by referring new members or
34 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

by selling and promoting products from the plat-

form through their own social media accounts.
Platforms also help members sell products by
letting them know which items are popular and
providing them with online training and promo-
tional materials.

Prime examples of membership platforms:

Yunji
Beidian

We-commerce
As a part of social e-commerce we can also men-
tion we-commerce. WeChat salespeople were
the first businesses to appear on WeChat. They
display items on their Moments page, in WeChat
groups or in direct messages and sell them on
WeChat. Customers send messages to the per-
son who’s selling the items, tells them which
item they want to buy, pays through WeChat Pay
and then they’re delivered. The price of prod-
ucts sold through WeChat salespeople is always
much lower than the market price. However, the
quality and authenticity of the products are hard
to guarantee.

Since those early days, WeChat has come a long

way and We-commerce is all about e-com-
merce mini programs now. There are 170 million
 SOCIAL E-COMMERCE AND WE-COMMERCE 35

WeChat mini program users per day and 76%

of WeChat mini programs are connected with
an official company account. E-commerce mini
programs are the second most popular type,
with services first and travel in third place.

WeChat mini program spending

WeChat mini program spending
Amount spent Proportion of users spending this
per month amount through mini programs

＜200 RMB 13%

($28 USD)

200 - 500 RMB 36%

($28-70 USD)

501-1,000 RMB 35%

($71-140 USD)

1,001 - 1,500 RMB 14%

($141-211 USD)

＞1,500 RMB 2%
($211 USD)

On WeChat, people buy everything from shower

brushes and underwear to fruit and beer. People
even pay for English classes on the app. There
are huge surges during shopping festivals. For
example, in 2018, during the 618 Mid-year Shop-
ping Festival, there was a 66% increase in sales.

A Summary of WeChat E-commerce Mini Pro-

grams
• Each page is about 2 MBs and loads quickly
36 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

• They can be accessed in more than 60 different

ways within WeChat
• They can be shared with friends with just a few
taps
• Transactions can be completed seamlessly with
WeChat Pay

Benefits for Brands: Mini programs’ expanded

functions enable brands to better engage cus-
tomers:
• Brands can design their own store with ban-
ners, videos, mini games and so on.
• Brands can use WeChat and users’ WeChat’s
accounts as a customer management system
• Brands can set up loyalty systems
• Brands can offer customer service
• Brands can develop mini programs within
weeks at a fraction of the cost of a mobile app
• Brands have full access to their customer data,
which they can analyze for future use

Mini programs went viral because of their con-

venience, accessibility and appeal for lower-fre-
quency services such as e-commerce where us-
ers don’t want to download a separate app. Mini
programs provide brands with more control over
their e-commerce store design and data and give
them the power to drive traffic through WeChat
and its social network
 SOCIAL E-COMMERCE AND WE-COMMERCE 37

Should I use traditional e-commerce or social

e-commerce?
Here are three key tips to remember when con-
sidering how to use regular e-commerce or so-
cial commerce platforms.

1 Balance traditional e-commerce and social

e-commerce
Despite some impressive, highly publicized
sales records on social e-commerce platforms,
compared to traditional e-commerce sites like
JD.com and Tmall, they’re still far behind. Social
commerce is a gateway for brands to access spe-
cific communities, test products, build aware-
ness, connect with customers and more, but
sales there are not always strong or guaranteed.

2 Utilize social data

Social e-commerce sites may be able to build a
fuller picture of who consumers are than tradi-
tional e-commerce platforms, which will help
you to understand in greater depth what moti-
vates purchases. This also allows social com-
merce sites to more accurately make relevant
product recommendations to customers.

3 Track the customer journey

Tracking Chinese purchasing behaviors can be
problematic for marketers, as they don’t know
38 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

which channel actually motivated the final pur-

chase, and social e-commerce complicates the
journey even more. Thus marketers need to de-
velop a general awareness of what specific sites
contribute in terms of inspiring, validating, or
completing a purchase.

If you want to understand Chinese e-commerce and

social e-commerce better and are looking for cus-
tom-made training for your marketing team or want
to join my China Digital Marketing Masterclass near
you, touch base with my team via email at natalia@
chozan.co.

If you want to increase your expertise on WeChat at

your own pace in your own location, you can take
our certificate video course online at:
https://chinamarketingmasterclass.com/p/wechat.
Use code [ASHLEY15] for a 15% discount.
 E-COMMERCE SHOPPING FESTIVALS 39

CH AP TER 5

E-commerce
Shopping Festivals

O ne of the most important things to know

about China’s e-commerce market is that
there are never-ending shopping festivals. In
order to be successful there and find a place in
consumers’ hearts, you have to know which plat-
forms to leverage and when.

While some centre on national holidays that in-

volve consumption and gifting, similar to Christ-
mas or Valentine’s Day in the West, others are
celebrations developed specifically to promote
sales or capitalize on certain consumption de-
mands, similar to Boxing Day sales.

You may have heard of Alibaba’s very successful

Double 11 Shopping Festival, which is two and
40 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

a half times bigger than Black Friday and Cyber

Monday combined. But that’s not where it ends
for shopping carnivals in China. More and more
e-commerce platforms have established their
own festivals to draw customers and drive sales.

The Nian Huo Festival (Jan- Feb)

Ban Niao Huo (办年货) is a Chinese custom be-
fore Chinese New Year, which is also called The
Spring Festival. It refers to the period before the
holiday when people are shopping and getting
prepared. E-commerce platforms like Alibaba
and JD, always start mega-sales 2 weeks before
the actual holiday because all logistics and de-
livery services halt for 7 days during the festival
as the whole country goes on holiday. Popular
items are home appliances, food, drinks and gifts
for children. Post-80s and Post-90s consumers,
aged 20 to 39, account for nearly 80% of total
consumption on Tmall during this festival.

Valentine’s Day (Feb 14th)

Although it originated in the West, February 14th
has become an increasingly popular day not only
for couples in China, but also for some single
people. From Tmall to Jumei, an online retailer
of beauty products, most platforms have good
deals on gifts for women such as handbags, ac-
cessories, skincare and makeup products.
 E-COMMERCE SHOPPING FESTIVALS 41

Girls’ Day and Women’s Day (Mar 7th-8th)

March 8th is International Women’s Day. How-
ever, in China, this day is associated with mar-
ried, middle-aged women and young women felt
left out. This is why some university students cre-
ated Girls’ Day on March 7th as a way of celebrat-
ing girl power and young womanhood. Gradual-
ly more and more young women joined, making
it an unofficial festival in China. Seeing the in-
creasing consumption power of this generation,
e-commerce platforms also joined the trend and
started sales with related themes, such as Tmall’s
Queen Festival, JD’s Butterfly Festival, Sun-
ing’s Besties Day and Jumei’s Goddess Festival.

Suning’s 418 Shopping Festival (Apr 18th)

Suning.com is China’s largest online-to-offline
(O2O) home appliance retailer. It announced
revenue of RMB 244.96 billion ($36.5 billion
USD), up 30.35% year-on-year, in March 2019.
It’s chosen April 18th as a promotion day for
home appliances and electronics. Items such
as smart televisions, refrigerators, laptops and
smartphones are discounted. In recent years, the
418 Festival has promoted internet connected
products with slogans like “smart home, smart
life” and focused on items related to the Internet
of Things.
42 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

The Men’s Festival (Apr 24th-26th)

The Men’s Festival is one of Tmall’s key cam-
paigns in the first half of the year. Discounts are
offered on apparel, suits and ties, skincare items,
healthcare supplements, electronics and even
automobiles. It also incentivizes women to pur-
chase items for men.

Mother’s Day (Second Sunday in May)

Chinese culture treasures filial piety - respect for
one’s parents and grandparents. As in many cul-
tures, this is especially so toward mothers, so this
day fits very well into traditional Chinese culture
and has given rise to extensive shopping events
for Mother’s Day. For instance, one year, Tmall
ran a promotion under the theme of “Love your
mom and give her the best,” and JD had a cam-
paign focused on treating mothers well featuring
advice about how to make your mother happy.

I Love You Day (May 20th)

In Mandarin, the pronunciation of “520” is
similar to “I love you” so May 20th is known as
China’s Valentine’s Day. It’s mostly celebrated
by couples but also extends to family and other
loved ones. Alibaba’s Taobao and Xianyu, Chi-
na’s second hand item auction platform, similar
to eBay, have different approaches to the 520 fes-
tival. For example, one year, Taobao ifashion, a
 E-COMMERCE SHOPPING FESTIVALS 43

promotion portal for fashion items on Taobao,

ran an “Express Your Love” campaign to recom-
mend relevant products for couples and fami-
lies, while Xianyu launched a series of auctions
on luxury items, artwork and automobiles with
endorsements from influencers and celebrities.
It was the largest auction on the platform.

Children’s Day (June 1st)

Tech-savvy Post-80s and Post-90s consumers
are becoming young parents and many of them
are heavy online shoppers who purchase a lot for
their kids so online retailers use this day to try to
increase sales. Their Children’s Day promotions
usually start from the last week of May. Hot items
include clothes, shoes, toys, theme park tickets,
childcare products and more.

JD.com’s 618 Festival (June 18th)

Founded on June 18th, 1998, JD.com, the second
largest e-commerce giant in China after Alibaba,
rolls out promotions every year on its birthday.
JD’s 618 has developed into a big affair on a par
with Alibaba’s Double 11 Festival. Last year’s 618
festival recorded US$17.6 billion in transaction
volume.

818 Fever Shopping Festival (Aug 18th)

Suning established the 818 Fever Shopping Fes-
44 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

tival (818发烧节) to celebrate its anniversary on

August 18th. Home appliances, groceries, smart-
phones and finance products are discounted up
to 50% during the festival. In response to Sun-
ing’s promotion, Tmall and JD.com also joined
the game by launching back-to-school sales
campaigns and member-exclusive discounts
during the same period.

99 Wine Festival (Sep 1st-9th)

Alibaba’s Jack Ma designated the dates for a wine
and spirits festival in 2016 because the number
“9” has the same pronunciation as wine in Man-
darin. During the 9-day promotion, Tmall offers
good deals for wine, Chinese Baijiu and other al-
cohol.

The Double 11 Shopping Festival (Nov 11th)

Alibaba’s Double 11 Global Shopping Festival is
China’s most prominent shopping extravaganza.
It was first started as a small-scale promotional
event organized by Taobao on November 11th,
2009. Back then, the number of participating
merchants was limited, but the conversion rate
was far higher than expected. This led to Novem-
ber 11th becoming the confirmed date for Ali-
baba’s annual mega sale which now includes a
televised gala that has seen performances from
and appearances by Pharell, Nicole Kidman,
 E-COMMERCE SHOPPING FESTIVALS 45

Miranda Kerr, Jessie J, Scarlett Johansson, Katy

Perry, Daniel Craig, Victoria and David Beck-
ham among others. In 2018, it broke its previ-
ous year’s record by selling $30.8 billion USD in
goods across 230 countries in 24 hours. This was
a 27% increase over its 2017 results.

Red Friday (Black Friday)

Black Friday isn’t just an American thing. Chi-
nese shoppers also use the occasion to buy dis-
counted foreign products through cross-border
e-commerce platforms. One example is Xiao-
hongshu whose members are mainly young
women. It runs “Red Friday” sales from late No-
vember to early December while its competitor
Ymatou, uses the term “Black Friday”. Other on-
line marketplaces offer limited deals rather than
making it a mega-sale occasion.

The Double 12 Shopping Festival (Dec 12th)

Extending the success of the Double 11 Festival,
Alibaba launched the Double 12 Shopping Fes-
tival to cater to customers who were still hun-
gry for deals after Double 11. Taobao and Tmall
host a year-end sale on the day, though the sales
numbers are not as impressive as Double 11’s.

Christmas (Dec 14th-25th)

Starting from mid-December, many places in
46 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

China’s big cities are filled with Christmas atmo-

sphere. Although Chinese people might not be
super-passionate about the festival itself, many
of them look forward to online Christmas sales.
They buy gifts and new clothes for the new year.

If you want to know more about cross-border e-com-

merce, join my signature 2-day Chinese Digital Mar-
keting Masterclass near you, or ask us to design a
custom training for your organization. Email us at
[email protected] for more information on my
global training events or to schedule a custom train-
ing for your team.

You can also gain valuable information and tips

about Chinese tourists who are travelling during
their holidays with my certificate video course here:
https://chinamarketingmasterclass.com/p/tourists.
Use code [ASHLEY15] for a 15% discount.
 CONCLUSION 47

Conclusion

I n China, online shopping is an accepted part of

life. People buy everything from fresh vegeta-
bles and seafood to appliances and automobiles
online. There are specific products that consum-
ers prefer to buy from foreign brands and a col-
lection of online platforms that cater specifically
to cross-border e-commerce.

Given the large demand in the market, e-com-

merce platforms work hard to create incentives
for online shoppers, resulting in the many shop-
ping festivals. If your brand wants to maximize
e-commerce sales, you need to understand the
big e-shopping festivals and coordinate your
marketing strategy with them in mind.

It will take hard work, commitment, and the right

strategy but it’s within your reach if you want to
make it. We’re here to help if you need us.
48 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Now, let’s go get them!

 RESOURCES 49

Resources

T he Top 5 Chinese E-commerce Festivals

(in Chronological Order)
1 Chinese New Year / Spring Festival (January
and February)
2 618 (June 18th)
3 Double 11 / Singles’ Day (November 11th)
4 Double 12 (December 12th)
5 Christmas (December 25th)

The Top 2 in Terms of Sales

1 Chinese New Year / Spring Festival All Plat-
forms
2 Double 11 / Singles’ Day Alibaba

--------------------

Key Chinese E-commerce Festivals

(in Chronological Order)
50 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Fixed Date Festivals

Note that in China, months and days are named
according to their numerical order. January is “1
month”, February is “2 month” etc. Monday is
“weekday 1”, Tuesday is “weekday 2” etc. This is
why dates dates are often written as a string of
numbers in a row or with a dot.
June (6th month) 18th = 618 or 6.18
November 11th = 11.11 or Double 11
Dates are often incorporated into the name of
the festival. Numbers such as 6, which is asso-
ciated with flow, and 8, which is associated with
wealth, are lucky so you’ll notice a preference for
them in prices and dates.

February
February 14th - Valentine’s Day

March
March 8th / 3.8 - International Women’s Day

April
April 18th - Suning.com 418 Electrical Festival
April 24th-26th - Tmall Men’s Festival

May
May 20th - 520 / Chinese Valentine’s Day with
a focus on couples, families and maternity and
childcare products.
 RESOURCES 51

“Five Two Zero” sounds like “Wo Ai Ni” which

means “I love you”.

June
June 1st - Children’s Day
June 6th - Taobao 66 Festival
June 18th - JD.com 618 / 6.18 Festival

August
August 16th: VIP.com Mid-Year Festival
August 18th - Suning.com 818 Fever Shopping
Festival

September
September 9th - Tmall Wine Festival
Focuses on alcoholic beverages of all kinds

October
October 1st - Founding of the People’s Republic
of China
China’s National Day and the start of the week-
long Golden Week holiday

November
November 11th - Alibaba 11.11 / Singles’ Day /
The Double 11 Global Shopping Festival
November 29th - Black Friday
52 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

December
December 12th - JD.com, Alibaba and others
The Double 12 Festival
December 25th - Christmas

November and December

Red Friday - Xiaohongshu / RED sales from late
November to early December
Black Friday - Ymatou sales from late November
to early December

Non-fixed Date / Lunar Calendar Festivals

The dates of these festivals change each year as
they follow the lunar calendar.

January and February

Chinese New Year / Spring Festival:
Golden Week holiday
2020 January 25th (Saturday) Year of the Rat
2021 February 12th (Friday) Year of the Ox
2022 February 1st (Tuesday) Year of the Tiger
2023 January 22nd (Sunday) Year of the Rabbit
2024 February 10th (Saturday) Year of the
Dragon
2025 January 29th (Wednesday) Year of the
Snake

August
The Qixi Festival falls on the 7th day of the 7th lu-
 RESOURCES 53

nar month of the Chinese calendar so it’s some-

times called the Double 7th Festival. It’s another
holiday that celebrates love.
2020 August 25th
2021 August 14th
2022 August 4th
2023 August 22nd
2024 August 10th
2025 August 29th

September and October

The Mid-Autumn Festival
2020 October 1st
2021 September 21st
2022 September 10th
2023 September 29th
2024 September 17th
2025 October 6th
54 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

2019 Chinese Holiday and Festival Calendar

with suggested social media keywords

Key Festivals / Occasions

Jan 1 - New Year
Jan 13 - Laba Festival
Jan 14 - Diary Day
Jan 22 - Spring Festival Travel
Rush Start

Marketing Keywords
New Year’s Eve
New Year
Spring Festival
Travel Rush
Traditions
Family Reunion
Red Packets

Key Festivals / Occasions

Feb 2 - World Wetlands Day
Feb 4 - Lunar New Year’s Eve
Feb 14 - Valentine’s Day
Feb 19 - Lantern Festival

Marketing Keywords
Lunar New Year
Spring Festival
Spring
Valentine’s Day
Lantern Festival
Lanterns
Golden Week
Back to work
Travel Rush
Traditions
Family Reunion
Red Packets

Key Festivals / Occasions

Mar 5 - Lei Feng Memorial
Day
Mar 7 - Girl’s Day
Mar 8 - International
Women’s Day
Mar 14 - White Day (Korean
Valentine’s)
Mar 15 - World Consumers’
Rights Day
Mar 22 - World Water Day

Marketing Keywords
Goddess
Women
Girls
White Day
Environment
Environmental Protection
 RESOURCES 55

Key Festivals / Occasions

Apr 1 - April Fools’ Day
Apr 2 - International Children’s
Book Day
World Autism Awareness Day
Apr 5 - Ching Ming Festival
Apr 7 - World Health Day
Apr 13 - Thai Songkran
Festival
Apr 22 - Earth Day
Apr 23 - World Book Day

Marketing Keywords
April Fools’ Day
Autism
Environmental Protection
Charity Campaign
Songkran
Travel
Hiking

Key Festivals / Occasions

May 1 - Labor Day
May 4 - Youth Day
May 8 - World Smile Day
May 12 - Mothers’ Day
May 14 - Yellow Day / Rose Day
May 18 - International
Museum Day
May 20 - China’s Valentine’s Day
May 31 - World No Tobacco
Day

Marketing Keywords
Labor
Youth
Mother
Mother’s Love
Love
Love Confession
Romance
Stop Smoking

Key Festivals / Occasions

June 1 - Children’s Day
June 5 - World Environment Day
June 7 - Dragon Boat Festival
June 8 - World Oceans’ Day
June 7-8 - National College
Entrance Exam
June 14 - Kiss Day
June 16 - Fathers’ Day
June 18 - JD’s 618 Shopping
Festival

Marketing Keywords
Children’s Day
Children
Dragon Boating
Gaokao / College Entrance
Exam
Fathers’ Day
JD 618 Anniversary Sale
56 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Key Festivals / Occasions

July 1 - CPC Founding Day
Hong Kong SAR
Establishment Day
July 6 - International Kissing
Day
July 14 - Silver Day

Marketing Keywords
Hong Kong SAR
Establishment Day
Hong Kong Reunification
Patriotic
Dog Days of Summer

Key Festivals / Occasions

Aug 1 - Army Day
Aug 7 - Qixi Festival / Double
7 Festival
Chinese Valentine’s Day
Aug 14 - Green Day
Aug 15 - Ghost Festival

Marketing Keywords
Patriotic
Love
Romance
Confession of Love
Ghost
Autumn

Key Festivals / Occasions

Sept 10 - Teachers’ Day
Sept 13 - Mid-Autumn Festival
Sept 27 - World Tourism Day
Sept 28 - Confucius’ Birthday

Marketing Keywords
Teachers’ Day
Mid-Autumn Festival
Back to School
Traditions
Travel
Confucius
 RESOURCES 57

Key Festivals / Occasions

Oct 1 - National Day
Oct 7 - The Double Ninth
Festival
Oct 10 - Cute Day (Meng
Meng Day)
Oct 31 - Halloween

Marketing Keywords
National Day
Golden Week
Patriotic
Parade
The Double Ninth Festival
Respect Your Elders
Cute
Halloween
Hiking

Key Festivals / Occasions

Nov 11 - Double 11 / Singles’
Day
Nov 14 - Orange Day / Movie
Day
Nov 28 - Thanksgiving

Marketing Keywords
Double Eleven Shopping
Festival
Singles’ Day
Online Shopping
Shopping Spree
Thanksgiving

Key Festivals / Occasions

Dec 12 - Double 12
Dec 20 - Macau SAR
Establishment Day
Dec 24 - Christmas Eve
Dec 25 - Christmas Day
Dec 31 - New Year’s Eve

Marketing Keywords
Double 12
Shopping
Christmas Eve
Christmas
New Year’s Eve
New Year
58 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

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60 SELLING TO CHINA THROUGH CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE

Copyright © 2019 Alarice International

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be repro-
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the press or book reviews.

First printing, 2019

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