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Latest news, analysis and opinion on ecommerce, covering new technology, consumer habits and the growth of digital payment options.

last updated:

9 September, 2024

5 years after it was banned, China’s Shein returns to India

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail will pay a licence fee to use Shein’s brand name, according to people with direct knowledge of deal.

2 Feb 2025 - 3:42PM

Business of climate change

JD.com-backed gadget platform banks on China’s trade-in subsidy to spur volume

1 Feb 2025 - 9:30AM

TikTok-loaded smartphones in US lists for thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook

25 Jan 2025 - 6:02PMvideocam

Banking & finance

How to make it in America: pressures, pitfalls for China consumer firms going global

As domestic spending falters, Chinese consumer brands are eyeing global markets, but tariffs and cultural barriers could get in their way.

26 Jan 2025 - 10:07PM

Credit: Henry Wong

Billionaire founder of China’s Nongfu Spring pledges to end price war

Low prices are destroying the quality of Chinese products and undermining the economy, tycoon says.

24 Jan 2025 - 11:00AM

China’s super app WeChat bolsters e-commerce credentials via gift-giving feature

The feature accounted for over 80 per cent of recent sales made by live-streaming e-commerce firm East Buy on WeChat, local reports say.

23 Jan 2025 - 8:00AM

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JD.com introduces gifting feature after Alibaba and Tencent

The Beijing-based tech giant has jumped on the latest trend in China’s e-commerce sector: online gifting.

17 Jan 2025 - 6:30PM

Struggling with Taobao? It’s now available in English for Hongkongers

The Chinese e-commerce platform has soft-launched an English interface in Hong Kong.

17 Jan 2025 - 5:13PM

China’s TikTok sellers eye Amazon and Shein as US ban looms

Cross-border merchants in China are bracing for an impending ban on TikTok in the US.

14 Jan 2025 - 9:00PM

Chinese firms face harsh reality amid geopolitical tensions: Alibaba co-founder

Current geopolitical environment is the most unfriendly ever, Alibaba co-founder and chairman says.

14 Jan 2025 - 8:33PM

Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai speaks at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Photo: Jonathan Wong

US-China tech war

Chinese tech firms face curbs on overseas expansion under Trump 2.0: UBS analyst

Chinese companies will continue international push amid slowing growth at home, but face greater risks, UBS analyst Kenneth Fong says.

14 Jan 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

The US recently designated Tencent Holdings a Chinese military company, underscoring the increasing risks to companies amid geopolitical tensions between the two countries. Photo: AP

My Take | China’s tech upgrade keeps export machine roaring despite US tariffs

The proliferation of e-commerce and other technologies has helped China maintain its resilience amid trade barriers.

14 Jan 2025 - 7:00AM

Opinion | China will rein in vicious competition at the root of its overcapacity

New reforms for a unified national market, including addressing unfair competition, will rein in unchecked competition and the damage it is causing.

9 Jan 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

US trade office removes Tencent’s WeChat from counterfeit sellers list

WeChat was among six online Chinese platforms and nine bricks-and-mortar sellers added to the counterfeit goods list in 2022.

9 Jan 2025 - 3:54PM

TikTok Shop rival raises funds at US$5 billion valuation

Last year, more than US$3 billion worth of goods were sold on Whatnot, including sneakers, collectibles, vinyl records and handbags.

9 Jan 2025 - 11:15AM

China's economic recovery

China’s logistics sector stands and delivers with busiest year ever in 2024

State Post Bureau reports highest delivery volume ever, estimates a banner 2025 as consumption becomes economic imperative.

8 Jan 2025 - 7:30PMvideocam

Alibaba revamps gift-giving feature on Taobao to fend off Tencent competition

After placing an order, the buyer sends a virtual gift card with passcode to the recipient, who has to claim the goods within 24 hours.

8 Jan 2025 - 3:00PM

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Shein lawyer evades questions on China cotton at UK hearing, angering lawmakers

The fast-fashion giant is accused of forced labour in its supply chains as it reportedly prepares for a US$62 billion listing in London.

8 Jan 2025 - 8:33AMvideocam

Shoppers visit Shein’s promotional Christmas bus tour, in Manchester, Britain, in December. Photo: Reuters

China technology

PDD’s billionaire investor Duan Yongping showers praise on Temu

In a speech at his alma mater Zhejiang University, Duan professes his admiration for PDD founder and fellow alumnus Colin Huang Zheng.

6 Jan 2025 - 9:00PM

TikTok expands e-commerce operation into Mexico amid potential US ban

TikTok Shop’s geographic expansion south of the United States shows it is undeterred by Washington’s ‘sell-or-ban’ law.

6 Jan 2025 - 6:00PM

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s 30,000 car dealers face bleak 2025 as price war, e-commerce crimp margins

Despite a 4.7 per cent rise in nationwide car sales, some 4,000 dealerships have closed due to a financial squeeze.

5 Jan 2025 - 10:08AM

People walk past various Chinese-made electric cars for sale inside a shopping centre in Beijing on January 9, 2024. Photo: AP

Artificial intelligence

China’s tech giants vow to fix algorithm issues amid crackdown

ByteDance’s Douyin, PDD’s Pinduoduo, and Xiaohongshu have promised to address issues related to the misuse of algorithms.

4 Jan 2025 - 3:00PM

ByteDance’s Douyin app is shown on a smartphone. Photo: Xinhua

E-commerce giants jump on China’s new trade-in programme for home appliances

Alibaba and JD.com are among the earliest to join the country’s renewed subsidy programme for home-appliance shoppers.

4 Jan 2025 - 9:20AM

Alibaba set on growth path after divesting offline retailing assets: analysts

After disposing of Sun Art and Intime, an ‘asset-light’ Alibaba is expected to be in a better position to compete against e-commerce rivals.

3 Jan 2025 - 7:00AM

Opinion | Asia’s embrace of refurbished smartphones is a trend to dial into in 2025

It’s great for the environment, for brands looking to seduce customers into switching and for consumers hunting for a bargain.

3 Jan 2025 - 6:03AMvideocam

A worker repairs a mobile phone in a shop in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, in 2017. Photo: AFP

UK lawmakers summon Shein and Temu for questioning over labour practices

Both online retailers have faced allegations of poor working practices at product factories in China and of forced labour in supply chains.

3 Jan 2025 - 10:06AM

Shein and Temu sell clothes, shoes, gadgets and accessories at rock-bottom prices. Photo: Reuters

Apple offers fresh price cuts on iPhones in China as Huawei competition heats up

A promotion running from January 4 to 7 will provide Chinese consumers a US$68 discount on Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 16 Pro models.

2 Jan 2025 - 7:00PM

Alibaba sells retailer Sun Art for US$1.7 billion to refocus on e-commerce

Alibaba agreed to divest its entire stake in Sun Art Retail Group to Chinese private-equity firm DCP Capital.

1 Jan 2025 - 8:49PM

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