In 2024, China’s digital shopper (e-commerce goods and services) market continued to lead globally, characterised by the high adoption of m-commerce. E-commerce sales were driven by innovations in livestreaming and social e-commerce, while traditional retail PC e-commerce continued to lose share to retail m-commerce, particularly app m-commerce. Foodservice e-commerce also continued to see dynamic growth in current value terms in 2024 with consumers having become acquainted with the convenience of ordering takeaway and delivery online, either directly or through third-party delivery services.
In 2024, the Chinese government implemented a series of targeted regulations to enhance the country’s e-commerce ecosystem, addressing consumer protection, rural development, cross-border trade, and sustainable consumption. These measures aim to foster trust, innovation, and economic growth. Some of the key regulations included the Regulation on the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests. Effective 1 July 2024, this regulation refines consumer protection laws, detailing business operators’ obligations, including safeguarding consumers’ personal and property safety, handling defective products, ensuring price transparency, and protecting personal information. This should increase consumer trust in e-commerce platforms by ensuring fair trade practices and transparency, leading to increased online transactions and a healthier market environment.
China’s e-commerce landscape witnessed a significant shift towards AI-driven personalisation in 2024, which is enhancing user experiences and operational efficiency. Key aspects of AI integration include personalised recommendations with e-commerce platforms utilise AI to analyse user behaviour, providing tailored product suggestions that increase engagement and sales. For example, Douyin’s AI-powered algorithms create curated content feeds tailored to the individual user’s preferences, thereby increasing user engagement and time spent on the platform.
China’s digital shopper market is poised for robust growth in the coming years, driven by several key factors. First, China’s economy is expected to continue on its path to recovery which should boost consumer confidence and drive spending. Collaborations between major e-commerce platforms and digital payment services are also making online shopping increasingly accessible and convenient. For instance, the potential collaboration between Taobao and WeChat Pay could streamline the payment process, attracting a broader consumer base and increasing transaction volumes.
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Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Digital Shopper industry in China with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Learn how technology is impacting digital commerce across a variety of industries, including retail, foodservice, travel, entertainment, mobility and streaming services. Insightful, thought-provoking and forward-looking analysis from top analysts in the space helps you understand the scale and direction of transformation. Data from Euromonitor International's annual Voice of the Consumer: Digital Survey provides you with insights into the consumer perception of tech-driven commerce initiatives.
Analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories across the 20 most important digital shopper markets:
E-COMMERCE (GOOD AND SERVICES) BY MERCHANT TYPE
E-COMMERCE (GOOD AND SERVICES) BY DEVICE AND PLATFORM
E-COMMERCE (GOOD AND SERVICES) BY FULFILLMENT MODEL
EMERGING BUSINESS MODELS
If you're in the Digital Shopper industry in China, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
Digital Shopper
Tracks all sales of goods and services to the public via the internet. Consumer purchases through web platforms are attributed to the country in which the consumer is based, rather than where the merchant is based. Our definition is agnostic as to where the actual payment takes place. If an order is initiated online, we would consider that order to be an e-commerce transaction, even if the order is ultimately paid for in-store, with cash on delivery, by mail via postal cheque, or in person when turning in a ticket and associated payment at a designated ATM or branch facility. Our figures exclude consumer-to-consumer (C2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sales. Business-to-consumer sales (B2C) – in which the business is registered with the government and pays the appropriate taxes – are included. This includes B2C sales on marketplace platforms, which allow many merchants to sell on their website and process the transaction. While both businesses and consumers can sell through marketplaces, only B2C transactions are included in our coverage. Note that online sales from direct selling companies are excluded from our definition. As we are primarily concerned with tracking the importance of the direct selling model (and not where the final sale is made), all sales attributable to a direct selling company will fall into direct selling rather than E-Commerce. Credit or charge card bill payments, mortgages and other loan payments, money transfers, digital person-to-person payments, insurance payments and donations to charities and crowdfunding campaigns are excluded from Euromonitor’s coverage. For C2G transactions, consumer payments made to governments for direct consumption of services and utilities, excluding taxes, fines, and administrative fees, are included. This includes all online purchases made by a consumer to a business for either goods or services regardless of the device (PC, mobile phone, tablet, etc.) used to execute the transaction. It is subdivided into the following eight areas of E-Commerce: Retail, Foodservice, Travel, Mobility, Ticketed Entertainment, Streaming Services, Bill Payments and Other.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Digital Shopper research and analysis database.
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