When British fashion retailer Topshop debuted in China, guests at the Beijing launch event tried on outfits and posed for selfies with red London buses or telephone booths as a backdrop. But the venue wasn't a shop, and there were no checkout counters. To order, people scanned QR codes with their smartphones, turning an offline event into mobile commerce.
Topshop, a fixture in British high streets, launched on the mainland in late September through e-commerce alone, via the ShangPin.com online retail platform. Then came Costco's announcement that it was debuting in China without any of its signature big-box stores, via Alibaba's TMall marketplace, just in time for the e-commerce giant's annual Nov. 11 sale that is bigger than Black Friday.
It has been common for small niche brands to launch online-only in China to reach the country's growing middle class without massive risk. But e-commerce in China has gotten so huge that even big brands have to consider whether doing market entry with actual brick-and-mortar stores is worthwhile. Xiaomi, arguably the hottest local brand, developed into China's top smartphone maker by selling its products online. Its offline stores came later.
E-Commerce Is So Huge Now in China, Some Brands Skip Opening an Actual Store
No comments:
Post a Comment