China B2C E-Commerce Market 2022

China is to Remain the World’s Largest Online Retail Market

China accounts for more than half of global online retail and experiences ongoing growth of online and offline integration

The whole of Asia-Pacific, including China, underwent significant changes in the payment industry after the COVID-19 onset in 2020, noting a considerable development in online and mobile payments. China is also currently generating more than one-half of global retail E-Commerce sales of products and services. Additionally, mobile payments as a payment method in the region were rapidly adopted and are expected to evolve even further in the upcoming years. Furthermore, the size of China’s B2B cross-border E-Commerce market is forecasted to grow by over 160% between 2021 and 2025, whereas the annual growth rate was predicted to decline steadily after hitting a peak in 2022. 

Mobile shopping, social and cross-border commerce drive the online retail market in China

Mobile is the main device used in China not only to connect to the Internet, but also to make digital purchases. Therefore, it is not surprising that Livestream E-Commerce emerged as a big evolving trend in China. The amount of Live Commerce users reached 62.4% of the total number of Internet users during 2020 and the number of livestream users increased by approximately 55% from 2018 to 2020, according to a source cited in the report. Furthermore, almost half of the Chinese online shoppers increased their purchasing frequency as of 2020.

Alibaba and JD.com hold a duopoly of Chinese retail E-Commerce market

As of 2021, Alibaba and JD.com are the largest B2C E-Commerce market players in China, with a current joint market share of more than 60%. However, according to a source cited in the publication, Taobao and Pinduoduo were the most popular online marketplaces in China. In Q2 of 2021 Taobao had close to half a billion average monthly visitors, which was the highest marker compared to figures of other B2C E-Commerce sites in the country.

Report Coverage

• This report covers the B2C E-Commerce market in China. A broad definition of retail E-Commerce used by some original sources cited in this report might include both B2C and C2C E-Commerce.
• The report contains relevant information about international comparisons, market trends, B2C E-Commerce sales and shares, Internet users and shoppers, products, payment methods, delivery and players.

Report Structure

• The report starts with an overview of the B2C E-Commerce market and international comparisons, where the relevant country is compared to other countries in the region in terms of criteria relevant to E-Commerce.
• Next, the “Trends” section includes an overview of market trends, such as M-Commerce, Live Commerce, and cross-border E-Commerce. 
• The section “Sales & Shares” covers the development of retail B2C E-Commerce sales and E-Commerce’s share of total retail sales.
• In the “Users & Shoppers” section, information about Internet penetration and online shoppers is included.
• Afterwards, the section “Products” shows the leading product categories purchased online. 
• The next section, “Payment”, covers the payment methods most used by online shoppers.
• Furthermore, the “Delivery” section covers information related to delivery in B2C E-Commerce.
• Finally, the “Players” section includes information about the leading market players including a ranking of major B2C E-Commerce platforms by market share.