Cross-border e-commerce is "going in both directions"
"In the past, the order was' waiting for it'. Now, through cross-border e-commerce, our own brand products can be sold directly to consumers. The feedback data can help us understand the pain points of users in the first time." Zhu Zhiliang, who has been engaged in foreign trade business for more than 30 years, said. With the gradual improvement of the cross-border e-commerce trade mechanism and the continuous dredging of the international logistics network, the cross-border e-commerce channel has been accelerated, and more and more market players are realizing the "two-way trip" of "buying the world and selling the world" through this channel.
Broaden foreign trade channels
The head of the e-commerce department of the Ministry of Commerce recently introduced the development of the online retail market in 2022, saying that cross-border e-commerce has developed rapidly. According to customs data, the import and export of cross-border e-commerce in China in 2022 was 2.11 trillion yuan, up 9.8% year-on-year. Among them, exports were 1.55 trillion yuan, up 11.7% year-on-year; Imports were 0.56 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%.
As a new foreign trade format with fast development speed and strong driving effect, cross-border e-commerce has become a new kinetic energy for China's foreign trade development, a new channel for transformation and upgrading and a new starting point for high-quality development. In recent years, the model of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test area in China has become more and more mature, which has played an important role in the development of cross-border e-commerce. Vigorously developing new formats and modes such as cross-border e-commerce is conducive to stimulating the vitality of foreign trade subjects, improving the efficiency of foreign trade operation, stabilizing the supply chain of foreign trade industry chain, and realizing the integration of industrial digitalization and trade digitalization.
The State Council recently approved the establishment of cross-border electronic commerce Comprehensive Experimental Zone (hereinafter referred to as Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Experimental Zone) in 33 cities and regions including Langfang. This is the seventh batch of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test zones established in China. So far, the number of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test zones in China has expanded to 165.
Take Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, where the first cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test zone is located, as an example. Since its establishment seven years ago, Hangzhou has cultivated 49,000 cross-border e-commerce sellers, more than 2,000 overseas registered trademarks, and the import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce has exceeded 100 billion yuan. In Jiangsu, the scale of cross-border e-commerce business has increased more than fourfold annually in the past three years. More than 90 cross-border e-commerce industrial parks and incubation bases have been built, and more than 280 overseas warehouses have covered key markets such as "the belt and road initiative", which has become a strong new kinetic energy to stabilize the basic foreign trade.
Nowadays, the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test area has become a cross-border e-commerce ecosystem and carrier with the coordinated development of system, management and service innovation. It has explored and established a policy framework centered on "six systems and two platforms" (namely, "six systems" of information sharing, financial services, intelligent logistics, e-commerce credit, statistical monitoring and risk prevention and control, and "two platforms" of online single window and offline comprehensive park), and replicated and promoted nearly 70 mature experiences and innovative practices nationwide, effectively helping foreign trade to maintain stability.
Local goods "sell all over the world"
Entering the Samsung Down Building in Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Zhu Zhiliang, the chairman of Zhejiang Samsung Down Co., Ltd., is browsing the background of the website to learn important data such as user consumption preferences, transaction volume, and product page stay time. "By building independent stations overseas, Samsung Down can master a large number of front-end sales data such as styles and styles, thus quickly anchoring the research and development direction and adjusting product production." Zhu Zhiliang said.
"Traditional foreign trade is waiting for others to give orders, and enterprises have no pricing power. Cross-border e-commerce has enabled some of our companies to find opportunities for brands to go to sea. " Wu Changhong, director of the Comprehensive Test Division of Cross-border E-commerce of Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said that the essence of cross-border e-commerce is "cross-border trade in internet plus+made in China", the products of enterprises are excellent, and various services are guaranteed in the pilot area. More and more China brands will go abroad.
On November 24, 2022, Hangzhou Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Experimental Zone launched the "Domestic Goods Going to Sea" program, combining the resources of Hangzhou Key Industrial Belt Association and cross-border industrial parks, from the perspectives of international market insight, merchant training, platform store opening guidance, special rights and interests incentives, etc., to dig deep into outstanding sellers of origin and promote China's quality supply to the world.
Driven by relevant policies, HIBREW, a brand of domestic capsule coffee machine, has turned from OEM (OEM) to OBM (independent brand) and gained popularity in more overseas markets. The annual turnover of smart rangefinder launched by Little Monkey Tool exceeded 600,000 USD. Fishing and hunting have exported China fishing gear to more than 200 countries and regions around the world; WEWATCH, a projector brand, started from scratch and its annual export volume reached 40 million yuan, which took only one year ... A number of small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises accelerated to enter the international market.
"Cross-border e-commerce companies have better met the personalized and customized needs of consumers by creating a flexible supply chain with concentrated elements and rapid response." The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce said that cross-border e-commerce has greatly lowered the threshold of international trade specialization, making a large number of small and micro entities become operators of new trade. At present, there are more than 30,000 enterprises registered on the online comprehensive service platform in the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test area.
Sitting at home "buying the world"
While China is making "selling the world", more domestic consumers are also "buying the world" through cross-border e-commerce channels.
During the Spring Festival this year, Xiasha Park in Hangzhou Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Test Zone was a busy scene. Trucks loaded with parcels imported by cross-border e-commerce continued to drive out of the park, ready to be sent to consumers all over the country. "This year's Spring Festival is much busier than in previous years. Our delivery list has increased by 52.3% compared with the same period of last year, and the sales of snacks, health products, small household appliances and other categories have increased significantly." Zhou Dongfang, head of customs affairs of Hangzhou Haiku Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. said. With the increasing convenience of cross-border online shopping, many consumers will purchase "foreign goods" through cross-border e-commerce import channels.
Fresh products, such as seafood, have also become foreign commodities widely loved by consumers in China. How fast can a Boston lobster from the United States go from fishing to distribution to consumers in China? 17 hours, this is the answer given by JD.COM International Cross-border Fresh Food.
After JD.COM International launched the cross-border fresh e-commerce, through direct sourcing of origin and integration of supply chain resources with large suppliers, global fresh foods such as frozen instant pizza in Britain, Samosa cake in India, king shrimp in tempura in Japan, handmade pasta in Italy, and various imported ice cream and chocolate were delivered to China consumers with better quality and faster speed. In addition, since JD.COM started the cross-border import e-commerce business, it has attracted more than 20,000 brands to settle in, covering maternal and child, fashion, nutrition and health care, personal beauty care, 3C digital, home, food and many other categories, covering the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and other countries and regions.
The industry believes that the cross-border business of e-commerce is an innovative practice to expand the import of foreign high-quality products and promote the upgrading of consumption. It not only enriches the supply of goods, but also shows the cultural characteristics and lifestyles of different countries, so that domestic consumers can buy good quality goods from all over the world and experience local customs without leaving home.