E-commerce: the Great Leap Online

China， a country with 1.3 billion people， holds the potential to become the biggest market for virtually everything and e-commerce is no exception. E-commerce is surging， opening up opportunities for all companies if they pay close attention to the quickly evolving marketplace.

Of China’s 513 million Internet users 194 million (versus 170 million in the United States) shop online. This is more than double the number in Japan and five times that of the United Kingdom.

In 2011， China’s online retail sales totaled RMB 750 billion， up by 60% from 2010， according to the Ministry of Commerce of China. The figure will triple to RMB 2 trillion in the next few years. That means by 2015， China may overtake the US as the world’s largest e-commerce market — with online sales growing to represent 8 % of all retail sales， Boston Consulting Group predicts.

Business-to-consumer (B2C) component has been the most dynamic segment， accounting for more than 23% of online sales transactions. By 2015， China will be the world’s leading e-commerce market， and B2C e-commerce will represent more than 40% of total online sales.

In this context， e-commerce has evolved into a must-have for any business aiming to expand in China. Companies are looking to differentiate their e-commerce offerings with emerging innovations such as social media integration， rich user interface， and better service to keep up with customer needs.

The Special Report of this issue offers insights into China’s e-commerce market features， major players， consumer demography and habits， future trends of development and government policies.