10 ways to market your e-commerce website in China

E-commerce in China represents a huge market with a lot of opportunities, it represents :

• 632 millions netizens in China, and 527 million of them are always connected on their phones
• 271 million online buyers
• 47,6 billion of RMB spend online and more than 3 trillions are expected for 2016.

 

The online habits of chinese people are more and more linked to online buying and that proofs that this market is more and more stable and mature.

 

 

What does it represents for the brands who wish to succeed in e-commerce in China ?

Chinese people are more and more used to buy online, and are more and more trusteful with this shopping plateform, and so, digital marketing strategies are more efficient and give better returns, as clients expectations are higher.

 

This article will explain you how to answer to ecommerce customer’s expectations :

 

     . Website

 

In China, use the .cn

 

Before everything, your internet website must be hosted in China and have a domain name in .cn for a better visibility. It can be done in applying on CNNIC : http://www1.cnnic.cn/IS/CNym/cnymyhfaq/

 

Website’s layout

 

• The websote must be tractued in simplified Chinese
• The pages must load quickly

 

Internet in China is not as quick as in Western countries, it means that pages with big size videos, and high quality pictures will make you loose trafic, and potential customers. Besides, there is a large choice for customers on the web, and if your website is loud, netizens will go to see the other competitors.

• A main page with a maximum informations

 

Here is the rules to follow if you create a website for chinese customers :

• Adapte the prices
• Differents payment methods
• Trolley with choosen products
• Attractive deals and offers

 

These informations must be avaible in the main page because what is visible on this page is the most important. Besides, chinese are very regarding with deals and price cuts, and that’s the reason why a website like Taobao is as successful.

 

Content will seduce potential buyers

 

You need quality content :

 

1. Content with high added value are appreciated when giving the most informations to your website visitors and when prices are at the top of the list.
2. Content must be written in clear and concise way because chinese people don’t waste their time in reading difficult descriptions of your products.

So, it’s important to write short and clear descriptions in chinese. One other important thing is quickness. A quick page load and quickness to be understood by the client are essential.

 

SEO => for Chinese Search Engine

 

When your website answers to the criteria given above, you should improve your ranking on search engines. So, when a netizen will write specific key words in link with your website products, the website should ideally be the first one. In China, you should follow Baidu’s rules, Baidu is a search engine that represents 80% of web researches.

More information on previous article. 

Why optimizing search engines ?

A good website will attract customers but will not have the visibility it diserves if you brand is unknown in China. You shoud work on how to be found.

The goal is to have a good ranking when we write the key words, ideally being the first result on the first page. It’s important to know that 85% of netizens stop at the first page, so a website in the second page will loose 85% of potential customers.

With a good marketing campaign on SEO, you could see your trafic increasing of 70%, it represents 70% more chances to have leads.

 

Promotions and special offers

In the chinese culture, people really like promotions and prices cuts. It’s a national practice to look for the best offers, in a clothes shop or in a supermarket, it’s the same. The best promotions will be preffered even if it represents a few yuans won. So, it’s essential to offer deals and promotions to transform a simple visitor in a buyer.

 

Exchanges between buyer and seller

 

The chat with the seller is culturally as important as finding the best prices for Chinese people to have a maximum of informations on the selled product. So, you should have avaible people, ready to answer to all the questions. It will show your serious and you proffesionalism, two key elements to do business in China.

 

E-reputation

To improve your brand image in China, you must be active on specialized forums to improve your e-reputation.

For that, you should pay much attention to customers opinion because online buyers in China like to talk about their online shopping, and give their impressions on the brands. More information here

 

 

Weibo

 

With specialized forums, there is the Chinese twitter : Weibo, and its 500 million users. It’s a very useful social media for the reputation of raising brands.

WeChat

 

How to not talk about the reference of social medias in China, and that begins to be know in western countries.

Wechat allows to use official accounts to share news about your brand and your producs, services and promotions. It also allows to improve your clients loyalty to your brand.

These listed methods must be followed to buil and keep the loyalty of your customers to your brand. With many scandals, online buyers have become more and more suspicious, and it’s important to reassure them. More information about wechat Marketing here

 

So your client is reassured and ready to buy your product, how will he pay ?

 

The paiement of a product shouldn’t exceed three steps if you don’t want your potential buyer to go to see competitors. Besides, forget Paypal and similar websites, in China, it’s Alipay owned by Alibaba or Hijaouax from tencent group.

 

 

Conclusion

 

E-commerce market in China is different than westerns market. The customers mood change regularly, and if you are active and strategic, choose digital marketing experts, you will have the opportunity the meet succees in E-commerce in China.

More information about e-Commerce in China here. 

 

This infographic sum up what you need to know. From Gentlemen Marketing Agency