Foreign Brands Rush to Join Chinese Platforms1外国品牌争相入驻中国电商平台

沈维多 译/唐毅

As the ongoing pandemic has dampened many Chinese consumers’ habit of “buying abroad” over the past year， the cross-border e-commerce platforms， which now have become the only channel for many domestic consumers who seek for overseas products， have become a highland for foreign brands who want to keep consumers in the world’s second-largest economy.

The booming cross border e-commerce trade between China and other countries， has not only turned out to be a key factor in the recovery of foreign firms who are still struggling in pandemic woes， but is also a silver lining for global trade under the shadow of the pandemic.

According to data provided by Tmall Global， the cross-border business-to-consumer marketplace under Alibaba Group， also one of the most popular platforms in China， more than 29，000 brands across 5，800 categories had come onto the platform at the end of December 2020， and over 80 percent of them are entering China for the first time.

Brands， particularly small- and medium-sized players that have been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic， are trying their best to enter new markets and find fresh channels for growth， according to the platform.

Apart from Tmall， another leading platform JD Worldwide， JD.com’s cross-border e-commerce platform， also previously said it has helped 270 new foreign brands to further expand sales channel in China via its platform in the first half of 2020 to meet the increasing consumption demand in the world’s second-largest economy， according to previous media reports.

The “foreign brands festival” has attracted an increasing number of Chinese consumers to purchase online. Over the past year， China’s cross-border e-commerce imports and exports increased by 31.1 percent year-on-year， according to the latest data released by the General Administration of Customs on January 14.

Figures have further improved from the first half of 2020， when trade volumes via cross-border e-commerce platforms， under the oversight of customs authorities， increased by 26.2 percent year-on-year， with exports and imports up by 28.7 percent and 24.4 percent， respectively.

“Under the weight of the pandemic， cross-border e-commerce， as a new business format， has gone from strength to strength，” Li Kuiwen， a customs spokesperson said， noting that cross-border e-commerce has now become an important force in stabilizing foreign trade.

Chinese e-commerce platforms have also been investing heavily to advance this trend， providing convenience and shortening procedures for brands who want to capture a slice of pie in the booming market.

For instance， Tmall Global announced a new suite of solutions at the 2021 Tmall Global New Seller Virtual Summit， to help global brands capture growing consumption opportunities in China.

As the first-ever virtual summit hosted by the platform with regional and category-specific content sessions spanning seven time zones from Tuesday until Thursday， it covers China’s cross-border e-commerce landscape and market insights， as well as case studies from different regions and industries， according to Tmall Global.

“We hope to provide foreign merchants with more confidence through this virtual summit， and provide solutions for those who cannot ‘go out’ due to the pandemic，” Maggie Liu， General Manager of Tmall Global， told the Global Times in an interview.

“We’ve entered a new phase， and it’s not just an opportunity for Tmall Global but the cross-border e-commerce industry as a whole. The reason is that Chinese consumers can’t travel abroad right now， but the demand is still there，” Liu said， adding that the most popular categories on its platforms are health products， beauty instruments and home appliances.

In addition to a streamlined on-boarding process， overseas brands and retailers will receive tailored consultation， operations and content support as well as other value-added services through Tmall Global and its partner network worldwide. Tmall Global will also roll out region-specific programs to further support merchants who plan to join the platform.

Liu said how to attract the local brands which are well-known in other countries but with less global awareness will be another key part， including some brands created by KOL， and some products with best quality in the world.

JD.com confirmed in August 2020 that it has held online investment promotion conferences in South Korea and Singapore to reach local brand merchants and help them seek the China market， said media reports.

Analysts said the increasing trend of cross-border e-commerce is also set to continue on the back of China’s consumption boom， highly developed logistics support chains， and favorable government policy.

Customs will continue to focus on the development of new business formats and corporate concerns， strengthen supervision， optimize services， further improve supervision and data integrity systems， promoting high-quality development of new cross-border e-commerce business formats， Li Kuiwen， the customs spokesperson said.

Logistics will also be ensured， Liu said， noting that Tmall Global has various freight logistics channels from bonded warehouses to chartered flights and it will also have random checks on the goods. So far， there has no any positive COVID-19 cases reported yet.

过去一年，疫情肆虐，抑制了许多中国消费者“国外购物”的习惯，跨境电商平台现已成为众多寻找海外产品的國内消费者唯一的购物渠道，也成为想要留住世界第二大经济体消费者的外国品牌的竞争高地。

中国和其他国家之间蓬勃发展的跨境电子贸易，不仅是依然在疫情中挣扎的外国公司复苏的关键因素，也是疫情阴霾下全球贸易的一线光明。

天猫国际是阿里巴巴集团旗下的跨境B2C市场，也是中国最受欢迎的电商平台之一。根据天猫国际提供的数据，截至2020年12月底，有5800个品类超过2.9万个品牌入驻，其中80%以上是首次进入中国市场。

根据该平台的说法，各个品牌，尤其是受到新冠疫情沉重打击的中小品牌，正竭力进入新市场，力争找到增长的新渠道。

依据媒体以前的报道，除了天猫，另一主要平台京东国际——京东集团的跨境电商平台——之前也曾宣布，2020年上半年，平台已经帮助270个新的外国品牌进一步拓展在中国的销售渠道，以满足世界第二大经济体不断增长的消费需求。

“海外品牌节”已经吸引了越来越多的中国消费者在线购买商品。根据1月14日海关总署发布的最新数据，过去一年，中国的跨境电商进出口同比增长了31.1%。

2020年上半年以来，数字还在进一步增长——在海关的监督下，跨境电商平台的贸易额同比增长了26.2%，出口和进口分别增长了28.7%和24.4%。

海关总署新闻发言人李魁文说：“在疫情的影响下，跨境电商作为新业态已经不断壮大。”他提到，跨境电商现已成为稳定对外贸易的一支重要力量。

为促进这一趋势，中国电商平台也大力投入，为那些想从这个繁荣市场分得一杯羹的外国品牌提供便利，缩短流程。

比如，在2021天猫国际全球云上招商峰会上，天猫国际宣布了一系列新举措，以帮助全球品牌抓住中国不断增长的消费机会。

天猫国际称，这是其平台主办的第一个线上峰会，从周二持续到周四，跨越7个时区，包含地区和品类的小组讨论，议题覆盖中国跨境电商的格局以及市场观察，也有从不同地区和产业选取的案例研究。

天猫国际总经理刘一曼在一次采访中告诉《环球时报》：“我们希望通过这次线上峰会给予外商更多信心，为那些因疫情不能‘走出去’的商家提供解决方案。”

“我们已经进入一个新的时期，这不仅对天猫国际是一次机遇，对整个跨境电商行业来说也是一次机遇。原因在于中国消费者现在不能出国旅游，可需求依然存在。” 刘一曼还补充说，平台上最受欢迎的品类是保健品、美容仪器和家用电器。

除了简化入驻平台的流程，海外品牌和零售商将能享受天猫国际及其遍布全球的合作网络提供的个性化咨询服务、营运、内容支持及其他增值服务。天猫国际也会因地制宜地为想要入驻平台的客商提供进一步支持。

刘一曼说，平台的另一核心目标是吸引其他国家全球意识不够的当地知名品牌入驻，包括由关键意见领袖创立的一些品牌。

据媒体报道，京东商城在2020年8月证实，它已经在韩国和新加坡举办了线上投资促进会，以接触当地品牌商并帮助他们在中国寻找市场。

一些分析师认为，跨境电商保持不断增长的趋势也有赖于中国消费市场繁荣、物流支持链高度发达、政府政策十分有利等状况。

海关总署发言人李魁文说，海关将继续聚焦新业态的发展和企业关切，持续强化监管，优化服务，进一步完善监管和统计制度，不断推动跨境电商新业态的高质量发展。

刘一曼表示，物流也会得到保障，天猫国际拥有从保税仓库到特许航班等不同的货运物流渠道，还将对货品进行抽检。到目前为止，还没有新冠阳性的病例报道。

（译者单位：东华大学）