China leads e-commerce growth through smartphones

400 million Chinese consumers make online purchases and China’s e-commerce market is set to reach USD1.57 trillion by 2018, making it the world’s largest. As smartphone penetration continues to surge in Asia, online retail is evolving. Will mobile commerce become the dominant mode for online purchases in Asia? Japnit Singh, Senior Director at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly.

China’s e-commerce retail sales in 2015 increased by 42.1% to reach USD672 billion. This is equivalent to over 40% of global e-commerce retail sales. As the online retail experience continues to evolve, more purchases are made using smartphones.

Growth factors responsible for this e-commerce boom include the rise in demand for imported products due to rising incomes, new online platforms and initiatives by the government. Cross-border consumer e-commerce added up to about USD40 billion (in 2015) – more than 6% of China’s consumer e-commerce in total.

Singh noted that Asia shows great e-commerce potential with its rising smartphone penetration. At present, 45% of online consumers use mobile devices – up from less than 10% in 2011. Thailand, Indonesia, India and China are seeing a huge margin of difference between e-commerce transacted on personal computers versus smartphones. More than 50% of consumers do online shopping using mobile phones.

However, the global smartphone market is slowing down, with saturation in the mature Western markets and China’s sluggish economic growth. In this climate, the best bet for e-commerce growth is India. Approximately 139 million smartphones will be sold in India in 2016, translating to a 29.5% year-on-year growth rate. India’s e-commerce revenues are up from USD4 billion in 2009 to a forecasted USD40 billion this year.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/china-leads-e-commerce-growth-through-smartphones/

Comments

Breaking gender rules through video-gaming

Computer games have traditionally been developed with men in mind. Sadia Bashir from Pakistan is breaking with this tradition. She is the owner of PixelArt Games Academy and a member of Forbes’ 30 under 30 for Asia 2018. Working towards bridging the gap between industry demand and education by providing training in video game development, Sadia has been in the field since she was 13 years old. Intel is also working towards the same goal as Sadia, having recently invested USD300 million towards gender diversity in the gaming sector. Will the gaming industry embrace gender diversity? Read here more:https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/breaking-gender-rules-through-video-gaming/

Spire shares business advice to start-ups on Indonesian market entry

On 17 July, Spire participated as a market advisor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Market Validation Program in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Spire Research and Consulting Group held sessions with Singaporean companies planning to expand their business into Indonesia. Jeffrey pointed out the utility of high-tech approaches for start-ups entering Indonesia, such as online advertising, usage of the Internet of things (IoT), data analytics and even Artificial Intelligence (AI). These approaches enable starts-ups to bypass mature importer-principal relationships that may be hard to overcome through conventional means. He also shared with individual companies his thoughts on developing customized strategies for Indonesian market entry. Get more information : https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-shares-business-advice-to-start-ups-on-indonesian-market-entry/

Ethiopia’s Strategic Cooperation with China

Over the past decade, Ethiopia has experienced an average economic growth rate of about 10%. Ethiopia is expected to grow by 8.5% in 2018, topping China’s projected growth of 6.5%. In recent times, the Ethiopian government has abandoned its 1970’s Communist ideology and put in place some basic reforms. They went on to build sturdy infrastructure and launch a successful industrial policy, calling to mind China’s own development pathway. The Chinese have contributed significantly to the building of Ethiopian infrastructure, with rail systems, buildings and dams. Will Ethiopia succeed in copying China’s development model? Read here more: https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/ethiopias-strategic-cooperation-with-china/

Gazing into the crystal ball for 2020

A new year means hopes for better global economic growth. What lies ahead? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. A return of normalcy for global economic growth is foreseen despite uncertainties for Brexit and the US-China trade war. The RCEP trade agreement further promises a boost to global growth. Leon further pointed out rising tension due to US’s rigid stance against North Korea, China and Iran. Risk of political fragmentation and global trade is likely with countries set to align to either Chinese or the US spheres of influence. However, hopes of a more rational and rule-based governance remain. Read more: https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/gazing-into-the-crystal-ball-for-2020/

Success factors for developed economies

As economies continue to become more developed, what key factors constitute to success? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. With more developed economies on the rise, growth is essential through ecosystems that require adequate nurture to enable productivity, growth and innovation. It is equally important to maintain the entrepreneur spirit and innovation with a culture that supports unorthodox thinking, creativity along with risk-taking. Another key factor for economic success is the education system. The quality determines the ability to push future leaders, designers, inventors and thinkers to think out of the box and nurture innovation as well as entrepreneurship. Read more: https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/success-factors-for-competitive-economies/

The Knowledge to Decide

Search This Blog