Fast growth
According to the 2013 ‘China E-commerce Development Report’, Chinese people purchased 217.9 billion euro online last year, a 41.2 % growth compared to the year before. That means e-commerce grows three times as fast as the rest of Chinese retail and now represents 7.8 % of China’s total retail turnover.
That growth even outpaces the United States’ growth and total numbers. American online sales in 2013 reached 192.85 billion euro, a 16.9 % growth compared to the year before.
302 million shoppers
China had 302 million online shoppers last year, a 24.7 % increase compared to 2012, while expectations are that some 30 million people will have an e-commerce related job by 2015. The report also states that 1.2 trillion euro was spent in Chinese e-commerce in 2013, even though this also includes deals between companies.
“Driven by new technology and innovative business models, the e-commerce industry has become one of the new engines for the economic development in China and helps Chinese companies explore the international market“, Li Jinqi (director of the bureau of e-commerce at China’s Ministry of Commerce) said.
84 % through Alibaba
These numbers serve as a way to assess Alibaba’s performance, as Alibaba stated to having a 182 billion euro retail turnover through its online marketplaces Taobao and Tmall, which is 84 % of China’s total online retail turnover.
