China E-Commerce

The 5 Defining Characteristics of the O2O Mobile Era

Wu Xiaoguang, the CEO of Tencent, has expounded on the five attributes of O2O in an increasingly mobile world. He emphasizes how e-commerce and traditional retailing will become symbiotic. The five characteristics are as follows:

1. Consumers are constantly connected to e-commerce stores, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The shopping experience is no longer confined to just the physical store. The customer can leave the store and still be connected and in communication with a store’s correspondent.
2. With consumers using mobile devices for so many aspects of everyday life, retailers will find it easier to carry out CRM practices via mobile services.
3. Customers can more easily find information on the stores that are nearest to them, with the help of their mobile devices. Not only that, but stores can use mobile data to provide personalized shopping experiences.
4. Furthermore, this data can help businesses carry out research and brand analysis.
5. Finally, a customer will no longer just be a nameless, faceless being. Businesses will be able to get to know their customers long after they leave their stores.

Source: IT Feed

China E-Commerce

Taobao ‘Hazy’ Keywords

Taoboa recently published the top searched keywords on its e-commerce platform for 2013. Several search trends are quite interesting and could be helpful to marketers trying to understand Chinese consumer habits. 2013 has witnessed a major purchase increase in hazy weather related products. The number of people who purchased dust mask on Taobao increased 181% from 2012. Additionally, air purifiers increased 131% from the previous year. The cities that led the way with these purchases were Jiangsu, Beijing and Zhejiang with Jiangsu spending 347,513 Yuan. In total, Chinese consumers spent 870 million Yuan (USD 142.4 million).

Source: China Internet Watch