Rivalling local e-commerce giants, such as Alibaba and JD.com, Amazon has taken one step further to positioning itself for digital sale success in China.
The US-based company has said it will open a warehouse and logistics centres in the Shanghai pilot free trade zone (FTZ), offering its Chinese customers a specifically designed website, according to Reuters.
“I look forward to working with our Shanghai partners to realise the incredible opportunity of developing the best cross-border shopping experience possible for not only customers in China but also around the world, and establishing Shanghai as a recognised international cross-border e-commerce centre,” Diego Piacentini, senior vice president of Amazon International told Reuters.
While Amazon has been operating in China for ten years, acquiring the shopping website Joyo.com in 2004, it has now signed a memorandum of cooperation to introduce international brands into China, while also allowing Chinese business to export products internationally.
China ranks as the second most attractive country to invest in retail after Chile, with retails sales increasing 13 per cent to US$2.6tr in 2013, according to AT Kearney’s Global Retail Development Index. In terms of e-commerce, the report found that 8 per cent of retail sales in China are online, growing 42 per cent to US$305bn in 2013 compared to 2012.
