China has Asia's--perhaps even the world's--liveliest and most comprehensive e-commerce sector, where pretty much anything can be bought online, and specialist online shopping sites exist for things like only food, baby-wear, handbags, etc. Revenue in China's e-commerce sector amounts to 1.76 trillion RMB(US$278.89 billion) at present, and grew by 25.8 percent from the previous year; the plan set forth by authorities is for that to hit 2.8 trillion RMB ($443.68 billion) by 2015.
So, which are the largest e-commerce sites in China in terms of revenue? Looking only at the business-to-consumer (B2C) sites--and therefore not taking into account the iconic Taobao site which thrashed eBay in the country--here's the current top ten at the end of 2011:
1. Tmall.com--39.9 percent market share
Alibaba-owned Tmall is the market leader, following on from the amateur shop-owners on its Taobao.com with a separate site for retailers and brands to reach out across the country. It sells pretty much anything, from, literally, Lamborghinis to lace panties, and even has an open platform on which some of its B2C e-commerce rivals have storefronts. It also plays host to many a brands' main online retailing presence, as seen on Pepsi's pepsi.tmall.com store.
2. 360Buy.com--14.7 percent market share
Aiming to list in the US in 2013, 360Buy has expanded aggressively to outpace its main rival Dangdang (NASDAQ:DANG). The two merchandising mortal enemies cover much of the same area: Mainly electronics and home appliances, but also books and clothing. 360Buy also has a full online travel service, and a separate luxury mall for couture brands at 360Top.com.
3. Suning.com--2.4 percent market share
The High Street electronics retailer wants to transform itself into an e-tailer so that it doesn't suffer the same fate of bricks-and-mortar stores crumbling to dust in the US and the UK. Suning (SHE:002024) will soon diversify into online travel booking - following the path led by 360Buy - and is one to watch as it uses its decades of business savvy to try conquer e-commerce in China.
4. Amazon.cn--2.2 percent market share
Close behind is the US company Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), whose Amazon China site, which has the very short URL Z.cn, focuses on its core products more in the manner of a western company, rather than trying to cover everything as Chinese businesses attempt to do. We'll have to see if that pays off in the long-term. Some folks in China are still awaiting the arrival of e-books and the Kindle in an official form.
5. Dangdang.com--1.6 percent market share
Who needs a Kindle? No one! That's what Dangdang reckons, as it now has its own e-book platform fully rolled out, and e-reader hardware due later in 2012. Its main focus is still on gadgets and books (those paper-based reading thingies, you might recall), leaving it vulnerable to the growth of Suning and its rival 360Buy.
6. Vancl.com--1.5 percent market share
This is China's biggest clothing e-tailer, selling only its own-brand clothing in the manner of, say, GAP, or Uniqlo. The company also has a regular online store, Vjia.com, selling numerous popular clothing labels. It was due to list in the US in 2011, but it didn't transpire.
7. 51Buy.com--1.1 percent market share
Selling mostly gadgets and home appliances, the site has performed well enough to get significant financial backing from Tencent (HKG:0700), the Chinese Web giant that has been struggling to make its buy.qq.com e-tailing site take off--despite its half-billion registered social media users.
8. Coo8.com--1 percent market share
In the same product area as 51Buy, Coo8 is a subsidiary of Gome (HKG:0493), the big-box retailer that battles with Suning on the High Street--and now online as well. Gome owns 80 percent of Coo8, yet it seems to operate quite independently.
9. NewEgg.com.cn--0.7 percent market share
And now we're in the deep, dark forest among the elves and goblins. Yes, we're now below 1 percent market share. Below this are hundreds of online shopping contenders, so a place in the top ten is still a mark of honor. Here's another American contender: NewEgg.
10. YiHaoDian.com--0.7 percent market share
Filling out the top ten is the Walmart-backed YiHaoDian, which is the country's largest food and consumables online retailer. Walmart has a majority 51 percent ownership of this site, pending regulatory approval.
Just below these are some impressive specialist e-tailers which have a pretty sizable market share when you consider that they only sell one thing--such as Redbaby.com.cn for children's wear, m18.com for budget clothing, and mbaobao.com for handbags.
No comments:
Post a Comment