Where Chinese Consumers are Spending Their Cash

[Randy W]

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from the Wall Street Journal

 

Where Chinese Consumers Are Spending Their Cash

 

The persuasive power of e-commerce is really playing out with shoppers in China’s smaller cities, where retailers like Swedish apparel giant H&M haven’t expanded. Consumers in so-called fourth-tier cities, like Wuzhou in China’s eastern Guangxi province, are spending as much as 27% of their disposable income online. That compares to 18% of disposable income for big-city dwellers, the report said.

 

Wuzhou is our closest larger big city neighbor, but that doesn't seem to apply to us. We can get most things here locally at excellent prices compared to what I see online (even from western retailers).

 

[Doug]

oh but it must be the status then

[Fu Lai]

.

from the Wall Street Journal

 

Where Chinese Consumers Are Spending Their Cash

 

The persuasive power of e-commerce is really playing out with shoppers in China’s smaller cities, where retailers like Swedish apparel giant H&M haven’t expanded. Consumers in so-called fourth-tier cities, like Wuzhou in China’s eastern Guangxi province, are spending as much as 27% of their disposable income online. That compares to 18% of disposable income for big-city dwellers, the report said.

 

Wuzhou is our closest larger big city neighbor, but that doesn't seem to apply to us. We can get most things here locally at excellent prices compared to what I see online (even from western retailers).

 

90% of the e-sales go to Taobao stuff, your local stores can beat their prices?

[Randy W]

 

.

from the Wall Street Journal

 

Where Chinese Consumers Are Spending Their Cash

 

The persuasive power of e-commerce is really playing out with shoppers in China’s smaller cities, where retailers like Swedish apparel giant H&M haven’t expanded. Consumers in so-called fourth-tier cities, like Wuzhou in China’s eastern Guangxi province, are spending as much as 27% of their disposable income online. That compares to 18% of disposable income for big-city dwellers, the report said.

 

Wuzhou is our closest larger big city neighbor, but that doesn't seem to apply to us. We can get most things here locally at excellent prices compared to what I see online (even from western retailers).

 

90% of the e-sales go to Taobao stuff, your local stores can beat their prices?

 

I've bought coffee, an electronic translator, and Myers's Rum from Taobao - everything else is available locally at competitive prices. Liquor is about double priced here, and coffee all but unavailable. I've bought at at least $4000USD worth of computer and electronics stuff, all locally and competitively priced.

[Fu Lai]

I've bought coffee, an electronic translator, and Myers's Rum from Taobao - everything else is available locally at competitive prices. Liquor is about double priced here, and coffee all but unavailable. I've bought at at least $4000USD worth of computer and electronics stuff, all locally and competitively priced.

 

Well that's cool. We buy stuff from Taobao every week, often as a time-saver. Order it Monday, it arrives Wednesday. I saved about 200RMB on my bike, and all the assorted stuff for it really saved us based on what local stores were charging (saved 25RMB on a front light for instance). Then there is all the stuff that is hard to locate nearby that Taobao offers from many vendors... like poker chips, imported foodstuffs, etc. Just the ease of use, discounted prices, the greater selection PLUS DELIVERY is good to have available. They have quite a biz going!

[Randy W]

Yes, we have good sources locally, but I like to check Taobao, as well as keeping up with some of the American sites, for pricing.