Online Shopping in China: Beginner’s Guide

Most expats are comfortable with online shopping back home because they know how to spot the deals while avoiding the fakes and scammers. But in China it is not as easy with language and cultural barriers. As a result many don’t even try to dive into the world of online shopping in China, but really you are missing a lot. It’s time to get your feet wet, and we can help.

Taobao: The Holy Grail of Online Shopping

Taobao (www.taobao.com) is probably the most well known of all the Chinese online shopping options and a fantastic starting point for would be online shoppers. It is well worth a browse just to see the massives cope of online shopping available in China. Taobao is the daddy of online shopping platforms in China and the equivalent to www.ebay.com throughout the rest of the world. Taobao’s platform differs from Ebay in two distinct ways: Firstly, it focuses on being a collection of stores with customizable spaces. In turn, this creates the second difference, that being the shopping system in Taobao relies less upon auctions, it allows for more instantaneous communication and bargaining with vendors via ‘WangWang’, Taobao’s instant messaging platform.

Getting Started on Taobao

The most convenient way to make payments for online shopping in China is with an Ali pay account www.alipay.com. Although, it should be mentioned that certain online shopping service providers, such as a great many Taobao stores, give shoppers a ‘cash on delivery’ option when making a purchase. This is also a good way to safeguard against receiving goods being delivered that do not match their description.

It is also worth noting that you can purchase Bian Li Tongtop up cards from vendors that sell telephone cards, should you not want to go to the trouble of opening a bank account. This method is also a good option when a cash on delivery option is not available.  

Getting the Goods – Shopping Online in China

 I arrived on the online shopping scene rather late in the game, and I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. It was only once I’d heard my Chinese co-workers talking about their purchases around the watercooler, checking out clothing online, and receiving deliveries from the post man at their desk at work, that I decided I might like to try for myself. Online shopping has taken China by storm, and the most popular site is Taobao, which is like a Chinese version of eBay, although Amazon (in conjunction with the Chinese company Joyo) has a share of the market too. Taobao is to China what ebay was to America about 5 years ago, taking the country by storm, turning everyone and their dog into home-grown entrepreneurs, and providing a vast array of goods to people who would otherwise have no access to them.


And who is in more need of hard to find goods than expats in China? Expats frequently complain about China’s lack of English language books, good coffee, cheese, large sized clothing, and Western brand “stuff,” from toys to baby formula to laundry detergent. And delightfully, all of these are available to be purchased online, from your home, and will be delivered straight to your door, practically anywhere in the country. Putting it plainly, sites like Taobao are an expat’s lifesaver. But there’s just one catch –Taobao, and other China-based sites, are all in Chinese, no option for English.

Maybe you need taobao english site? For expats starved for a taste of home, online shopping can be a life saver, and once you get started, you won’t be able to stop. Luckily online shopping is often more affordable than trips to fancy expat grocery stores, or import bookshops. The clothing you buy online is cheaper than what you’d buy in a shop because the overhead is less. Online shopping is an affordable, convenient, even fun way to get your fix of the goods that you miss in your day to day life.

The 3 C's of Content Marketing

Happy Monday, everyone! This week in news read about the top 5 emerging technology trends, 19 social media facts that every marketer should know, Google Android catching up to Apple in race for mobile ad dollars, and mobile contributed 59% to ad revenue for the first quarter of Facebook. In tips, learn how to increase your social media click-through rates, the three C’s of content marketing, effective, ethical native advertising, and 5 steps to creating a better app… It’s Skimming the News!

NEWS

The Top 5 Emerging Technology Trends of 2014 via Business2 Community

According to Gartner, one result of BYOD is “a doubling or even tripling of the size of the mobile workforce.” Gartner predicts improvements in JavaScript performance will push HTML5 and browser-based enterprise application development environments into the mainstream. Gartner believes the number of mobile apps will grow—while the number of larger applications shrink–with apps becoming smaller and more targeted than more comprehensive applications. Read the full article for the complete list of emerging technology trends.

19 Social Media Facts that Every Marketer Should Know [Video] via Mashable

Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30 years old. 53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their tweets.93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media. 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations whereas only 14% of consumers trust advertisements. The four C’s of digital are creating, curating connecting, and culture. See video for full list of facts.

Google’s Android Catching Up to Apple in Race for Mobile Ad Dollars via AdAge

In a report published Tuesday, mobile-ad platform Opera Mediaworks found that devices running Android sent a greater percentage of ad requests in the first quarter of 2014 than those running Apple’s iOS. The report found that, in the first quarter, Android devices’ share of mobile-ad requests reached 42.8%, up from 31.3%. Over that time iOS’s share fell to 38.2% from 44.5%. After serving 76% of impressions in the first quarter last year, Android and iOS now control 81% of all traffic and 86% of revenue.

Facebook’s Q1: Mobile Contributed 59% of Ad Revenue in Q1 via AdExchanger

Facebook reported first-quarter earnings Wednesday, exceeding analyst estimates with ad revenue growth of 82% to $2.3 billion. In contrast, Google’s Q1 revenues were seven times larger at $15.4 billion, but its growth was only 19%. The number of users accessing Facebook via a mobile device jumped 43% year over year to 609 million globally, and monthly active mobile users surpassed 1 billion for the first time. Mobile now contributes 59% of the company’s total ad revenues, up from 30% in Q1 2013.

TIPS

How to Increase Your Social Media Click-Through Rates via Social Media Examiner

Most businesses make the same mistake in their social media updates: They don’t have a call to action that routes people back to their website. Remember to give fans a reason to click through. To get the most out of your efforts, look at which social updates, blog posts and advertising campaigns your prospective customers have responded well to in the past. Use your landing page to provide more information and another clear, strong call to action and the means to complete that action.

The 3C digital accessories Marketing via Entreprenuer

Be compelling. The information and perspective you provide should feel unlike anything that’s available elsewhere, and it should give your customer pause. Always customize. When publishing your content, it’s important that it feel unique to your customer, specially created to suit their certain kind of needs. Keep consistency. Each piece of content you distribute should be published consistently, with purpose, and with a constant brand voice.

The Essential Guide for Effective, Ethical Native Advertising via Business2Community

To avoid angering your audience, transparency is critical when it comes to native advertising. Strive to educate, inform, or entertain while weaving your brand message subtly into the content. Since kids are less likely to distinguish between advertising and regular content, avoid sponsored ads in children’s publications and websites. Native ads work best when the content is consistent with a brand’s personality, as well as the publisher’s editorial mandate. Finally, provide an opportunity to participate and make customers feel empowered.

Five Steps to Better Apps: A Cookbook for Mobile Application Security via Forbes

Code should be regularly scanned for security vulnerabilities during the development cycle.  Companies that have to go back and add security after development often find that it can be more expensive. Applications produced should be automatically tested as part of a build automation process. All development staff should have received some secure application development security training. Check for security gaps by testing vulnerabilities. Utilize other testing techniques such as penetration testing, infrastructure tests, and risk reviews.

China credit rating agency in Europe

Italy's second largest city is to be home to the first European office of Dagong, the Chinese credit rating agency,which check chinese company credit. It is expected that the company's Milan office could get official approval to begin operations as early as next month (June). It is currently waiting on final authorisation from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU financial regulatory body.

Once operational, the Milan office will employ more than 40 analysts as a joint venture between Dagong Global and Mandarin Capital Partners, a Sino-Italian private equity fund. It will undertake rating activities for banks and corporate entities, while any sovereign state rating activity will be conducted by the company's head office in Beijing.

It is believed this Europe-based rival to Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch Group (the three ratings agencies that together share 95% of the global market) is intended to boost Chinese investments in Europe by providing Mainland companies with clear indications of the value and rating of local industry prospects.

It is a timely launch, given that Chinese investors are currently switching away from sovereign state bond investments and considering the acquisition of both brands and local industries. A rating by a China-based agency could be a useful guide for Chinese investors looking to evaluate opportunities in the European market.

Milan decision surprises industry observers

The selection of Italy as Dagong's first European operation – with more apparently planned in the coming years – has caused raised eyebrows among the EU business community. Despite retaining something of an industrial base, the country is not seen as one of the main European hubs for financial services.

The Italian press has carried some concerns that the arrival of this Chinese newcomer reflects expectations that a number of local businesses, weakened by the prevailing European financial conditions, could be ripe to be acquired at knockdown rates. Some have even suggested the agency could be instrumental in artificially lowering the value of companies in order for purchasers to secure a better deal. Others, however, maintain that the arrival of a Chinese ratings agency is inevitable given the level of the country's acquisitions in Europe.

Things You Should Know About Chinese Shopping

I like shopping. And something happens when I go to China. Something in the air — either the around-the-clock manufacturing or the settling dust of a run-away economy – turns me into a rabid consumer.

Cute eyeglass frames for $15 USD each. Wooden buttons shaped like elephants. Ceramic buttons painted like porcelain. Tibetan prayer bowls. Cellphone covers for every day of the week.

Some may ask whether I actually needed the same linen balloon pants in three different earth-tone colors.

Honestly? I really did. Because I was on my China shopping spree.

China isn’t simply about the Great Wall or 5,000 years of history. With its economic development, China has become a major shopping destination with its own unique flair.

The Guomao district in Beijing, home of the China World Shopping Mall, features such storefronts as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Prada.

For me, however, these sterile fluorescent halls with their white mannequins have never held quite as much appeal as China’s other shopping venues.

Packed antique stalls, bustling night markets, and shopping centers divided into booths of different vendors with the same merchandise. That's what I'm here for.

For those inadequately prepared, however, shopping in China can be a complete nightmare. There are certain things you'll have to know to survive your first few shopping experiences.

1.  Sometimes people will follow you

I was seven years old on my first trip to China when this happened to me. A salesperson trying to convince my mother that I needed a pair of khaki pants followed us for several hundred feet.

Depending on where you are, sales associates will be terrifyingly tenacious when dealing with weak-willed customers.

You'll need to be equally tenacious when you're bargaining to get a good deal.

3. It's easy to get exactly what you want

One of the best things about shopping in China is getting your purchases customized.

Jewelry stores often display strings of beads that can be bought and transformed into whatever shapes and patterns you please.

Fabrics of your choice can be brought to a tailor, along with a pattern, photo, or sample of what you want made.

Friends of mine have purchased silk-lined suits, cloth cargo shorts, and even a wedding dress custom-made this way.By the way ,you can get taobao chinese traditional jacket online,such as taobao and agreetao.

6. Vendors expect you to bargain

Modern shopping malls generally have set prices that can’t be negotiated, but vendors at night markets, antique stalls, or personal booths at other shopping centers usually expect customers to question their prices.

But bargaining and haggling isn’t just procedure. It’s an artform. You can see how real Chinese people bargain in a Yoyo Chinese premium video and learn a few phrases to get a good deal.

I've listed a few phrases below this video, too, so you'll have more to work with!

Hoverboard Takes You on a Brilliant Ride

Thanks to the new-age scooters and skateboards, personal transportation doesn’t look or sound that old-school anymore. Urban travelers can now enjoy their everyday journey to work in a more sophisticated way. From smart bike wheels to unicycle electric scooters, I feel we are on the verge of a major transportation shift. Only this time, the mode of travel seems to take us on a ride to the future. Ideas that were confined to the TV screen till date are now being applied in our day to day lifestyle which is great for people like you and me who don’t prefer riding the public transports all the time. If you consider me, I would do anything to get rid of a subway or a bus ride. Riding on a skateboard or a unicycle sounds more “free” to me. Even better than a car drive at times when I am willing to go for a weekend joy ride!

This is exactly why when I first came across the Hover board on Kickstarter, I couldn’t stop looking at the campaign twice. The reason is obvious – It’s not just an electric vehicle; it’s the closest thing on earth you can compare to an actual Hoverboard!

Personal Electric Mobility Evolved!

Now, if you’ve been following the latest innovations we have had in technology, hoverboards aren’t a new concept. But giving a real shape to such a sci-fi concept cannot happen in a day. You need time to evolve and the team behind Hoverboard is undoubtedly trying to make their way towards that spectacular innovation, one day at a time.

This is a one-wheeled, gyro-stabilized personal electric vehicle which has just one mode of contact with the ground and will make you feel like you’re hovering on the streets every time you decide to take your ride on it. Only six people on earth have had their exposure to this Hoverboard and now it’s your turn to try it out.

What I love about the Hoverboard is the ground sensing sonar which keeps the board parallel to the ground. Not only this, your glowing Hoverboard can charge itself in less than 16 minutes. Starting from a pre-order price of $3775, it’s time you book your Hoverboard ride now! Happy Gadgeting!

Advantages of using an electric scooter

This article provides information about mobility scooters, and the health benefits they can provide. By getting an electric scooter, you can open many doors that have been previously closed, perhaps because of a disability or illness - such as going shopping, going out for the day, going for a "walk" with the children or grandchildren. Anyone who struggles to walk or gets tired after walking a short distance could benefit from using a mobility scooter. Using an electric scooter is not an admission of defeat and can make a great deal of difference to your quality of life, and can even provide a new lease of life and a new found independence.

If you are thinking about getting a mobility scooter, it is probably past time to do it. However, the sooner you start using an electric scooter, the longer you might retain the ability to walk.

A disabled scooter can give you more energy because you won't be using all your energy in trying to walk, or push a traditional wheelchair. Using an electric scooter will help to relieve the strain on shoulder muscles and wrist and elbow joints that are used when pushing yourself in a self propelled wheelchair or someone else in a traditional transit wheelchair. An electric scooter can help to provide you with the freedom to go where ever you want, whenever you want. Some models are capable of travelling up to 35 miles between charges, so the distance you can cover is much greater than in a traditional wheelchair.

A large number of supermarkets and DIY stores as well as other shops offer customers the use of a mobility scooter whilst shopping. If you are not sure if you would benefit from one, why not try one and see if it makes shopping any easier. Some places such as large shopping centres or town centres offer Shopmobility, which is a scheme that lends or hires mobility equipment based on the user's requirements, and then provides brief training on using the equipment. If you go on holiday why not arrange to hire a mobility scooter instead of taking your wheelchair, and see if it makes a difference.

By getting an electric scooter, you can open many doors that have been previously closed, perhaps because of a disability or illness - such as going shopping, going out for the day, going for a "walk" with the children or grandchildren. You can go up and down steep hills in comfort and without fear of rolling down the hill, and without being worn out for days afterwards. You can visit friends and relatives at your convenience, without needing to rely on public transport. Most mobility scooters have a key to start them, and so if the key is removed the scooter cannot be driven. This means that the scooter can be left outside a shop, for example, and it can be "locked" like a car.

If you think that you, a friend or relative could benefit from a mobility scooter or a powerchair, why not try some and find one that you like. If you know somebody with a mobility scooter, ask them about it, and what improvements it has brought them. Mobility scooters can mean the difference between managing to live at home independently, and having to rely on others.

Looking for taobao agent?

Chinese Taobao is one of the world's largest e-commerce websites, a combination of eBay and Amazon, only bigger. With more than 800 million items listed, you can find almost anything offered for sale.

For the Shunyi expat community, it’s even more convenient because Ruan works at one of the International Schools, which makes paying in cash incredibly easy. Their ten percent fee is very reasonable, if you consider how much time you will save, and using a personal shopper takes the hassle out of the whole process. So maybe it’s time to give your bilingual friends a break, and enlist the help of an agent instead.

If you are unable to read Chinese, or do not have the time or patience to trawl through hundreds of pages of items, then it’s time you got a Taobao agent. Agents, or personal shoppers, will do your shopping for you. They do the searching, buy the items, and have them delivered either to their own warehouse, and then ship them out to you, or will arrange delivery direct to your home.

In need of a fancy dress outfit for a friend’s Birthday Party, I did an initial search on Taobao, so that I had a few links and pictures of what I wanted. I then emailed these links to TaobaoPlus10 personal shopper, Andrew Ruan, who helps simplifying the whole Taobao shopping experience for expats in China.

“As vendors from all over China put their stuff for sale on Taobao, we can find almost anything. My customers only need to send me an email of what they need (description, a web-link, a picture, a brand), then I will get back to them with the links for those items available,” explains Ruan.

Once you receive the list of matching products, simply select the item you want, send your personal shopper the payment (cash, PayPal or bank transfer), and they will order the product for you. Items will be delivered to your home, and if you need something urgently, they will pay the seller on your behalf, and then you reimburse TaobaoPlus10. If there are any problems with the order, they will help you resolve the issue. Ruan’s recent orders have included Huggies diapers, Crayola coloring pens and pencils, gluten free pizza base, and Vogmasks.