China: North China E-commerce Market Developments - Focus on Northwest Region

After becoming firmly established in large coastal cities, e-commerce growth is now strong in China’s second- and third-tier cities. Social media and e-commerce are combining to form a new sales model called community group buying, which is especially popular in these smaller markets. The cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) sales channel continues to thrive, but market demand has not yet caught up to supportive government policies. While community group buying is an interesting new sales platform for U.S. exporters to take note of, food and beverage imports account for a small percentage of sales at this point. U.S. exporters should consider conducting marketing events and other outreach activities in second-tier cities as distributors increasing seek to purchase food and beverage imports directly from U.S. producers.

China: North China E-commerce Market Developments - Focus on Northwest Region