– The leaders of the ecommerce industry in China include Taobao, WeChat and JD.com.
– Ecommerce trends are currently mainly cooperation with influencers, live shopping and selection of products after scans or photos.
– Digital wallets and group purchases are also gaining popularity.

E-commerce leaders in China and their key tools

In recent years, many solutions in the e-commerce world have been refined to adapt to the demanding and changing needs of consumers. Chinese online commerce relies heavily on marketplaces and social media shopping, and the leaders of e-commerce are Alibaba, JD.com and WeChat. Let’s take a look at one of the most popular Chinese e-commerce sites and learn about the solutions they propose.

E-commerce leaders in China:
– Taobao
– WeChat
– JD.com

Alibaba and Taobao Group

The Alibaba group dominates the Chinese e-commerce market. It consists of two of the most famous platforms – Alibaba.com and Aliexpress. Their popularity is due to the fact that they sell abroad. Alibaba operates in the B2B model and Aliexpress B2C.

The other services included in the group are platforms targeted at Chinese users. One of them is Taobao.com – the largest Chinese online store, operating on the basis of C2C. This platform allows small businesses and entrepreneurs to display and sell a wide range of products, from toys and clothing to electronics and cars. Launched in 2003, the site operates on a similar basis to American eBay. Goods can be sold at a fixed or negotiated price or at auction.

There are several tools on the Taobao platform designed to help brands reach more consumers and aid marketing efforts. All these tools have different functions, but one goal – to facilitate the sales process:

Image search: The option available on Taobao allows you to quickly search for a product based on its image. All you need to do is upload a photo and the portal will search for graphically similar articles.

Weitao – Social Media Integration: A social platform built into Taobao that serves better communication between sellers and consumers. Brands and influencers use Weitao to publish content, engage consumers, and consequently to acquire customers and increase sales. Consumers, on the other hand, use Weitao to stay up to date on news, read product reviews and connect with brands.

With this option, consumers, when they see something they like, can go directly from viewing the product to shopping. This eliminates any additional steps that could distract the potential customer from completing the transaction.

Taobao Live – Live Dealer Streaming: E-commerce live streaming is a selling method where streamers introduce products and viewers can make purchases in real time. The possibility of more dynamic, interactive sales based on real-time feedback is of great interest to consumers, and in recent months has broken records of popularity among sellers. Brands and companies that have suffered from pandemic restrictions are increasingly choosing Taobao Live to resume operations and reach as many audiences as possible.

WeChat

WeChat is Tencent’s multi-functional social media, messaging, payment, and shopping application. It is the Chinese equivalent of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and many more. Everything in one place.

The e-commerce option was introduced to the application, which was initially intended as a messenger. Thanks to the introduction of the WeChat Store and WeChat Pay functionality, it has become a trading platform. Wechat Pay allows you to make online and offline payments using QR codes. What’s more, the functionalities of the application are constantly developed thanks to mini-programs.

Mini-programs are smaller applications inside one application. Below are the possibilities they provide:

Scan-and-go purchases: Shoppers can use a mini-program to scan products and make payments without waiting in line. There is also a possibility of home delivery.

Multi-Channel Selling: The Uniqlo mini-program allows buyers to place an order online and ship their purchases to the store. The goods are ready for collection within an hour.

Group purchases: Companies offer discounts to the entire group when there is a certain number of people willing to shop. It works like this: a community leader promotes the product at a discounted price in his network to the WeChat group. If enough people make a purchase, each buyer will get the product at a discounted price.

Sales with influencers: Influencers, also known as key opinion leaders, promote products on their profiles and lead buyers directly to a specific product page. The entire purchase – sale transaction takes place inside the application. Influencers have various tools at their disposal to create promotional content as part of WeChat KOL:
– WeChat Article – an option with which you can create content that includes text, photos, videos,
– WeChat Channel – a video channel for content creators, brands, companies and individuals to reach audiences beyond their circle of friends / followers,
– WeChat Live streaming – tools to easily implement live broadcasts.

Self-service stores: An unmanned brick-and-mortar store owner uses WeChat to allow buyers to enter the store, exit their purchases, and receive a bill through their WeChat account. The EasyGo mini-program provides a QR code that shoppers scan to enter the store. Payment is made via WeChat Pay.

JD.com

JD.com is the second largest e-commerce platform in China. It offers millions of different products that fall into categories such as cosmetics, fresh food, clothing and electronics. JD.com allows retailers to open virtual storefronts, but unlike Taobao.com, JD.com has its own warehouses and can be sold directly to end customers. Thus, JD.com works more like a traditional online store, similar to Amazon. JD uses three basic models:

JD.com Direct Sales: JD fulfills orders and is responsible for issues such as international logistics, customs, warehousing, product page design, marketing and after-sales services.

JD.com Marketpalce: Seller completes orders. He deals with customer service, marketing, and generally – sales. However, it can use JD.com’s international logistics services, i.e. it does not have to deal with customs issues, warehousing and delivery to customers.

Worldwide Sales: JD Worldwide is a cross-border ecommerce platform. It offers international traders the opportunity to enter the Chinese market by providing shipping and warehousing solutions. JD Worldwide is open to brands, retailers who are legally registered outside of China and sell products sourced from outside of China.

E-commerce trends in the Chinese market

When it comes to innovation in the e-commerce world, China is definitely the trendsetter. Over the years, e-commerce in China has evolved a lot in response to the needs of customers and sellers. The above-described solutions and functionalities are a response to ecommerce trends, although it is difficult to say unequivocally whether they were always the result or maybe the cause. Here is a list of the ecommerce trends we are seeing in China.

Influencer involvement

To increase brand sales, companies engage influencers, i.e. key opinion leaders (KOL). These are paid collaborations aimed at promoting a given product. KOL is an expert whose opinion is valued in a specific industry. These are people who are trusted and respected in a given environment, have authority through long-term building relationships with recipients. When choosing a KOL to cooperate with a given brand, whether the product fits the content created and promoted by a given author. Everything depends on the product they want to sell. KOLs can be models, movie stars, singers, fashion icons, etc. Not every famous personage or celebrity can be a KOL.

Due to the fact that Chinese e-commerce responds quickly to changing consumer preferences, another type of influencer is more and more often used to build brand awareness and increase interest in the product, namely KOC (key opinion consumer). It is a customer who has reached for a given product himself and shares his honest opinion about it. Chinese internet users are more and more often influenced by the choices of ordinary users, trusting that their reviews have not been paid for.

Digital wallets

In a culture so heavily involved in mobiles, the great interest in digital electronic payment does not come as a surprise. Such a solution is offered, for example, by Tencent (WeChat Pay) and the Alibaba group (Alipay). Digital wallets are a complete payment method that makes it very easy to pay using your smartphones. You can pay on the website, in the application, as well as in a stationary store. Users keep funds in their mobiles digital wallets. Based on these funds, a QR code is generated, which you can pay by scanning it in stores. This trend has integrated online systems with everyday offline shopping.

Trade in the cross-border model

Cross-border online commerce is a relatively new type of sales channel that was introduced to make it easier for foreign brands to enter the Chinese market. In the cross-border model, goods are sold online on platforms intended for foreign companies (e.g. the already mentioned JD Worldwide). Listing your products on such a platform is the fastest way to test the prognosis of a given product on the Chinese market. The fact that you can sell the products directly to the final consumer is also a big advantage. Sellers and consumers making transactions in this model can count on special conditions when it comes to customs, sanitary issues and the necessary certificates.

Shopping via social media (social e-commerce)

The country’s largest e-commerce platforms are heavily integrated with the most popular social networks, offering innovative services such as mini-programs and live trading.

Social e-commerce is a response to an overly saturated market, increased competition and rising costs of acquiring consumers. Undoubtedly, the rise of a new class of consumers – affluent, discerning and mobiles millennials – helped accelerate the e-commerce revolution. Since this demographic dislikes traditional advertising, marketers had to come up with alternative ways to engage and build strong relationships with their customers. Millennials are educated and innovative young people who like to be pampered. Due to the need for entertainment and immediate satisfaction, they choose social media shopping.

Innovative technologies have also improved the overall shopping experience, making the process more convenient, positive and fast. Hence the popularity of live streaming, cooperation with KOLs, group purchases or flash sales (sales consisting of a short-term discount on a given product).

Integration of online and offline channels

Customers add offline products to their online wish list, compare products online, then watch them live, make final purchasing decisions in front of a desktop computer, pick up online orders in stationary, scan QR codes in stores, use self-service checkouts. Based on these consumer behaviors, we see online and offline channels becoming increasingly integrated, creating new hybrid purchasing models. The O2O trend has been present in Chinese for several years and continues to grow in strength.

The term O2O (Online-to-Offline) basically refers to anything in the online world that attracts customers to physical stores or makes them buy products and services that have traditionally been sold offline. While e-commerce in China has huge benefits, O2O companies can still compete by focusing on reaching the right consumers who are willing to go to the store to test the product or save delivery time when purchasing the product.

QR codes play an important role in integrating online and offline channels, which, in addition to being a payment method, can be easily shared online or printed on marketing materials such as posters, packaging, banners, and then scanned with any smartphones . QR codes may link to websites, social media accounts or any other suitable online channel.

Valuable content that meets the needs of users and encourages them to take advantage of the offer – such texts are the basis of activities on the Internet. Their quality largely determines the behavior of the consumer and the extent to which they contribute to generating profits for the brand. That is why it is so important to focus on effective copywriting. However, often the content itself is not enough to be able to reach a much wider group of users. This is where content marketing comes in.

Copywriting – what is it?

Copywriting is nothing but writing texts. However, it is not only about creating “art for art” content, but providing valuable content – one that will convince the recipient, e.g. to perform a specific action.

Effective copywriting should be directed to the needs of modern users – taking into account their behavior. Therefore, the creation of texts should be based on the principles of verbal persuasion. At the same time, the content should be original and inventive – so that it stays in your memory for a long time and does not constitute intrusive advertising. It is worth being aware that consumers are more and more often distancing themselves from standard forms of advertising – those which, in a way, encourage them to take advantage of the offer.

Copywriting includes creating, among others:
– texts for advertising materials, e.g. leaflets,
– advertising slogans, e.g. for flags,
– texts for radio and TV spots,
– texts for company websites,
– thematic articles,
– including blog articles,
– sales (persuasive) texts,
– e-books,
– content for e-mail marketing,
– content for online stores.

All texts – regardless of their purpose – should meet several important features. Among them, the following are mentioned:
– uniqueness and ingenuity,
– reliance on persuasion techniques, e.g. the AIDA model
– application of a call to action (CTA),
– targeting the needs of a potential customer,
– correctness in terms of language, spelling, etc.

SEO copywriting deserves special attention – writing texts that are attractive to the user, and at the same time meet the expectations of Google robots. A skillful combination of both guidelines allows you to get engaging content that helps you achieve higher positions in search results. This is important because Internet users are much more likely to click on links appearing on the first pages of the search engine, completely rejecting the content of links in distant positions.

Texts created in accordance with the principles of SEO copywriting should:
– carry high quality – be substantive and valuable,
– take into account the needs and expectations of recipients,
– be 100% unique – which allows you to avoid the phenomenon of duplicate content,
– be length-optimized,
– contain relevant keywords – maintaining naturalness,
– be properly formatted (headings, bullets) – for better readability and clarity.

The application of the above principles helps to gain higher positions in the Google search engine (however, it is worth being aware that the activities related to positioning have a much wider scope).

What else to remember? Both in the case of classic copywriting and SEO copywriting, there is no room for duplicating content. Copying texts from other websites is not only unethical, but also adversely affects your position in the Google search engine. That is why it is so important to provide original content – tailored to the needs of a specific target group.

Content marketing – what is it?

Content marketing is a wide-ranging activity based on delivering valuable content through various channels. It is an alternative to traditional forms of advertising, which do not fully meet the expectations of a modern consumer. Content marketing activities are in a way a response to the needs of a customer who does not like to be persuaded to buy, but prefers to make an informed and (in his opinion) decision.

The great advantage of content marketing over other forms of advertising is the variety of tools used. This allows for carrying out activities that meet the needs of specific consumer groups very well.

Below we present some of the most popular elements of content marketing.

Articles for external publication
Articles published on external websites help build greater reach. They allow you to reach even more potential customers. The advantage of thematic articles, e.g. sponsored ones, is also the possibility of enhancing the image of an expert.

Company blog
Running a company blog fits perfectly into the content marketing strategy. It helps in generating more traffic to the website and also helps to increase brand awareness.

Infographics
Sometimes images can convey more than words and are remembered more easily. Therefore, as part of content marketing activities, you can also publish infographics, which are also a powerful viral marketing tool.

Webinars
Webinars are nothing more than online conferences and seminars – the perfect solution for modern times. It allows not only to provide relevant information, but also to conduct a dialogue with a potential client.

E-books / Trendbooks etc.
Publication of e-books – available for download, e.g. after logging in or leaving your data – supports content marketing activities and at the same time helps in obtaining leads.

Copywriting and content marketing – the most important difference

Knowing the definition of copywriting and knowing what content marketing is related to, it is easy to identify the differences between them. Generally speaking: writing texts is the basis of conducted activities in the field of content marketing. It can therefore be said that copywriting is a tool that provides valuable content. And content marketing is activities related to the distribution, collection and formation of existing content, but also the generation of new ideas related to content (including graphics).

Important synergy of activities

Effective content marketing cannot exist without good copywriting, which is why synergy of activities plays a key role. Even the best developed strategy will not bring the expected results if it does not take into account the provision of good-quality content – regardless of its form, type and purpose.

A well-written text – perfectly matching the needs and expectations of potential customers, and at the same time meeting the SEO principles – is the foundation of modern marketing activities on the Internet. Skillful selection of words that create unobtrusive advertising messages and their proper distribution – it is worth taking care of if you want to reach a wider group of users and achieve your business goals step by step.

Why is it worth to bet on content marketing?

Although copywriting can “live its own life”, it is not worth giving up content marketing. A properly planned strategy helps to achieve huge benefits.

Reaching a wider group of potential customers
By limiting yourself to publishing valuable content on your own website, you are narrowing your reach. Meanwhile, content marketing activities help you reach a much wider audience who may be interested in your offer.

The ability to increase conversion
The systematic publishing of articles on the blog helps to increase the conversion, but not as much as the conducted marketing activities. By distributing content in various channels, you have great chances not only for increased website traffic, but also a real improvement in sales or generating leads.

Increasing customer engagement
A more engaged recipient is a loyal and faithful customer who will keep coming back. Content marketing helps you achieve this goal – by constantly delivering valuable content posted on various channels.

Strengthening brand awareness
Properly conducted content marketing activities make more people know about your company. Their brand associated with specific products or services appears more and more often in their minds. This, in turn, increases the chances of acquiring new customers.

Building the image of an expert
Thanks to content marketing, you strengthen brand awareness and at the same time build the image of an expert. A variety of high-quality content helps in this – blog articles, articles on external industry websites, giving expert statements, organizing webinars, etc. By becoming an expert in the eyes of customers, you increase trust in the company. Thanks to this, more people will want to use your offer.

SEO activities support
Good-quality texts – regardless of their form – are welcomed by Google. Thanks to them, you can reach higher positions in the search results. Therefore, the content distributed as part of content marketing can be used to support SEO activities – especially positioning. The texts are an additional place to insert keywords, they help build a link profile of the domain, etc.

As statistics show, up to 95% of buyers gain trust in the brand thanks to content. Good-quality copywriting combined with content marketing activities help achieve the set goal.

Do you want to take advantage of the possibilities of content marketing? Bet on cooperation with an experienced agency that will develop a strategy that translates into advertising success.