China is the world’s largest B2B e-commerce market, with over 600 million online buyers and over $1.93 trillion in annual sales.
That is why cross-border B2B e-commerce in China is such an enormous opportunity for international businesses, as it provides access to the world’s most profitable digital market.
However, which are the finest B2B e-commerce sites in China for international brands?
We’ll address that question in this tutorial by delving into the biggest B2B e-commerce websites in China and how companies may get started selling on them. Thus, let us begin — here is our list of the top Chinese B2B e-commerce websites that every international company should be aware of.
Table of Contents
1. eWorldTrade
eWorldTrade.com is a business-to-business site headquartered in Dallas, Texas, United States of America. Reckon Media LLC, which created the service recently, operates branches in Korea, China, Pakistan, and Nigeria. The portal has grown at a breakneck pace, with thousands of buyers and merchants registering for its services. Currently, the B2B website offers the following services:
- A Platform for Digital Trading
- Extensive Advisory Services to Buyers
- Services for Digital Branding
- Establishment of a Digital Community
- Assisting with Trade Shows
2. Taobao
Taobao, which is owned by the Alibaba group, is China’s most popular B2B e-commerce site. It is the country’s tenth most viewed website, having been created in May 2003. Since then, it has evolved into the go-to destination for Chinese shoppers looking for a variety of things.
Additionally, Taobao is a B2C and C2C platform (similar to eBay), making it suitable for brands, small businesses, individual sellers, and everything in between, which explains why it has grown to become China’s largest marketplace.
Taobao’s key statistics and information:
- The Taobao app has a user base of more than 755 million.
- Taobao has a monthly active user base of more than 670 million.
- The website has a daily active user base of 299 million.
- By 2020, the GMV on Taobao surpassed 3.39 trillion yuan.
Taobao’s most popular product categories
Taobao is ideal for the following:
- Clothes
- Smart technology
- Mother’s and infant’s products
- Supplements & health products
- Sporting goods
How foreign brands might get their start on Taobao
Businesses must be registered as a corporation in China in order to sell on Taobao. This entails obtaining a Chinese company licence, opening an office, and opening a bank account – all of which can take up to six months and can be rather costly.
Having said that, establishing a presence on Taobao is undoubtedly worthwhile, as it is one of the most popular B2B e-commerce platforms in China. Additionally, it is fully fee-free, which is a significant benefit for businesses watching their margins.
3. Tmall (and Tmall Global)
Tmall (formerly Taobao Mall) was launched in 2008 as Taobao’s partner site for B2C online retail. It sells higher-end products than Taobao and makes international brands more accessible through its Tmall Global initiative.
Tmall Global, in particular, is a cross-border platform that enables non-Chinese enterprises to sell to Chinese consumers. Additionally, Tmall opened the Tmall Luxury Pavilion in 2017, which is China’s leading luxury B2B e-commerce portal, selling over 180 premium brands.
Tmall’s key statistics and information:
- By 2020, Tmall’s gross merchandise value (GMV) will exceed 3.2 trillion yuan.
- Alibaba (with Tmall) controls 53.3 percent of China’s B2B e-commerce sales.
- Tmall offers approximately 180,000 brands.
- Tmall is one of the most popular shopping apps in China, with over 800 million users.
- Over 1000 international businesses are projected to launch on Tmall Global between 2020 and 2021.
Tmall’s most popular product categories (and Tmall Global)
- Fashion and apparel
- Maternity and infant care products
- Cosmetics and skincare
- Electronics
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages
- Vitamins and dietary supplements
- Household goods and furnishings
4. JD.com
The next China online shopping site on our list is JD.com, Tmall’s closest competitor and the country’s second-largest B2C online store. JD.com was founded in 2008 and is frequently referred to as China’s Amazon, as it has its own shipping network and sells end users, in contrast to the Alibaba group.
JD.com, like Tmall, has a cross-border B2B e-commerce portal called JD Worldwide that connects international brands with Chinese consumers.
JD.com’s key statistics and data
- JD.com controls a 24.4 percent stake of China’s B2B e-commerce market.
- JD.com’s annual client base increased by 32% to 442 million in 2020.
- Over 8 million users have downloaded the JD Central app.
- JD.com generates an annual revenue of more than $82 billion.
JD.com’s most popular product categories include the following:
- Electronics and small appliances for the house
- Automobile components
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages
- Fashion & clothing
- Electronic products
- Cosmetics and personal care items
Beauty products, infant and mother products, and health supplements are the best-selling categories at JD Worldwide.
5. XiaoHongshu
XiaoHongshu (or ‘Little Red Book’) was founded in 2013 as an innovative and dynamic commerce platform that capitalises on China’s B2B e-commerce trends by prioritising user reviews and influencer endorsements.
Simply put, the platform integrates B2B e-commerce and social networking by encouraging users to submit comments and ratings on ‘luxury goods’ (such as makeup) sold in its RED Mall.
This concept has been enormously effective in China, where customer ratings and suggestions have a greater influence on consumers than in any other market.
Statistics and facts about XiaoHongshu
- XiaoHongshu has approximately 300 million registered users, a figure that has tripled since 2018
- In 2018, the company generated top-line revenue of more than $230 million
- 40% of XiaoHongshu users are under the age of 24
- 79.2% of users are female
- 52% of users live in first-tier cities on the mainland China
The following are the most popular product categories on XiaoHongshu:
With a user base dominated by young ladies, luxury items are the most popular product category on XiaoHongshu. This category contains the following:
- Make-up items
- Skincare products
- Fashion products
- Premium products.
Additionally, the most popular brands on XiaoHongshu include:
- PerfectDiary
- Lancome
- Innisfree
- Swisse
- L’Oréal
6. VIP.com
Founded in 2008 as Vipshop, VIP.com has grown to become China’s fifth-largest business-to-consumer B2B e-commerce site. The website is the world’s largest online discount store, offering incredible savings on high-end goods and brands.
Similarly, to Tmall and JD.com, VIP’s partner site VIP International (opened in 2014) connects Chinese consumers with international products, providing a direct path to market for international enterprises.
Sell high-end products while maintaining a solid profit margin? VIP may be the top online shopping store in China for your brand.
Key Statistics and facts about VIP.com
- In 2020, VIP.com’s active daily customers climbed by 36% to 43.4 million
- VIP.com now has over 320 million customers
- Women account for 80% of VIP.com transactions
- VIP.com partners with over 13,000 brands
Additionally, VIP.com’s most popular product categories include the following:
- Beauty items
- Skincare products
- Jewellery
- Fashion
- Nutrition & health
- Products for moms and infants
How to get started on VIP.com as an international brand
On VIP.com, there is no direct application process for merchants. Rather than that, the platform typically contacts the businesses with which it wants to collaborate.
Having stated that, firms interested in selling on the site are urged to contact global@vipshop.com. You should include the following information in your email:
- The name of your business
- Your position
- Company description
- Company website
Finally, in order to sell on VIP.com, brands must be well-known and in demand.
7. Pinduoduo
Pinduoduo (which translates as ‘together, more savings, more pleasure’) is a fast-growing B2B e-commerce company in China with a twist.
Unlike its competitors, Pinduoduo’s business strategy is centred on ‘team buying,’ in which users can ask friends to form a’shopping team’ in order to receive a better deal on a product. The larger the shopping crew, the more affordable the pricing.
Additionally, users can win discounts (and sometimes even free things) by participating in games and tournaments on the platform.
Indeed, thanks to viral popularity on Chinese social media, this original and distinctive B2B e-commerce strategy has elevated Pinduoduo to the top B2B e-commerce websites in China.
Statistics and facts about Pinduoduo
- Pinduoduo has 643.4 million monthly active users as of 2020
- The platform generated $2.1 billion in revenue in 2020
- 65 percent of all users are from third and lower-tier cities in China
- 70% of Pinduoduo users are female
- In 2020, Pinduoduo broke the record for 100 million orders in a single day
- 5.1 million merchants sell on the platform
- The majority of customers are between the ages of 25-40
Additionally, Pinduoduo’s most popular product categories include the following:
- Fresh fruit
- Clothing
- Household products
- Electronics
Pinduoduo is China’s largest online agriculture retailer, with annual sales of about $20 billion in the industry.
How to get started on Pinduoduo as an international brand
Establishing a merchant account on Pinduoduo is a reasonably straightforward process.
To begin, you’ll need to:
- Create a seller account
- Select a store type
- Provide the necessary business and financial information
- Execute a merchant agreement
A deposit of between $1500 and $7600 is required, depending on your sector.
Then, if you want to create sales on Pinduoduo, you’ll need to increase your profile in China. This is because the platform is most effective for firms with a social media presence in China, as it encourages social and ‘viral’ purchasing.
To increase your visibility in China, you should:
- Launch a Chinese-language version of your website;
- Join all major social media platforms.
- Invest in Chinese-language web advertising
8. Kaola
Kaola is China’s leading cross-border B2B e-commerce platform. With warehouses located throughout the world, it provides multinational brands wishing to sell in China with perhaps the simplest and most lucrative route to market.
Statistics and facts about Kaola
- Kaola has a market share of 27.1 percent in China’s cross-border B2B e-commerce market
- Kaola has approximately 30 million users and is rapidly growing
- 80% of users are female, and more than 80% are between the ages of 19 and 35
- Kaola plans to procure $3 billion worth of goods from Europe, Japan, and America
Following that, below are the most popular product categories on Kaola:
- Health & Wellness
- Food & Snacks
- Mother & Baby
- Beauty cosmetics
- Personal care
- Home
- Clothing
- Electronics
Additionally, popular brands on Kaola include:
- E-Mart
- Nescafé
- Evian
- Heinz
- Philips
- Nescafé
- LG
How to get started on Kaola as an international brand
To sell on Kaola, visit the company’s merchant website and complete the ‘global partner’ section of the form. You can choose to be a B2B supplier (selling directly to Kaola), open your own shop on Kaola.com, or combine the two.
Additionally, while selling on Kaola, there are a number of expenses associated with the transaction:
- A deposit of between $10,000 and $15,000, depending on the nature of your business.
- Commission payments ranging from 2% to 10%, depending on the nature of your products
- A one-time membership fee of $1,000 each year
9. Suning
Suning began as an electronics and home appliance retailer in 1990. Since then, it has grown to become one of China’s largest B2B e-commerce websites. The website offers a diverse selection of products while still maintaining its image as an electronics retailer.
Suning Global, on the other hand, provides a direct path to Chinese customers for multinational companies via its cross-border B2B e-commerce strategy and integrated logistics network.
Significant statistics and information about Suning
- Suning.com has a user base of approximately 407 million.
- Suning Global generated over $35 million in revenue in 2018 • Suning Global has about 300 international stores
- Alibaba, the Chinese B2B e-commerce powerhouse, owns 19.99 percent of Suning.com.
Additionally, Suning’s most popular product categories include the following:
In general, electrical appliances and pregnancy goods are the most popular products on Suning.
Nonetheless, the following product categories are also profitable:
- Furnishings
- Food
- Personal care
- Media
How foreign brands might get their start on Suning
Suning provides multinational brands with two merchant models:
- An entry strategy in which brands can sell straight to consumers via Suning.com
- Procurement model, in which Suning purchases products from international brands
Companies must approach Suning immediately to establish a corporate account and execute the relevant contracts under either model. Additionally, customers must pay a $1000 deposit and a $5-10,000 surcharge.