15.2　Cross-Border E-Commerce for Import进口跨境电商

In recent years,“haitao(buying from overseas)”has become increasingly popular among some Chinese consumers.“Haitao”via an online platform is essentially CBEC for import.Statistics from IResearch in 2016 and 2017 shows 84% of the consumers are women aged 19 to 40,and 30% of them have a monthly income between 5000 and 8000 RMB.The driving force are married women with babies or kids,who look for brand or quality products such as cosmetics,garments,handbags,watches,diapers,milk powder and other baby products.However,sometimes the buying process is frustrating.The major pain points for consumers include:possibility of receiving counterfeit or inferior products,prolonged or expensive logistics,and difficulties in return and replacement of goods.

Businesses and government alike have been working hard to resolve these issues.Over nearly a decade’s development,China’s CBEC for import has achieved significant advancement in maturity.The supply chain has been completed and refined.Overseas brands or individual sellers and Chinese consumers are connected by B2B intermediaries and/or B2C retailers,supported by logistics,payment,customs clearance services and local CBEC comprehensive pilot zones and associations.Peripheral services also develop to facilitate transactions.Some businesses provide shopping guidance and rebates on their websites to customers; others serve as agent for foreign brands or sellers,running their Chinese-version websites; still others provide system integration services to CBEC businesses.So basically,some of the above issues now can be resolved to customers and businesses.Getting to know the following business models of CBEC firms may help you obtain a deeper understanding of this sector.