China Social Commerce Report 2019

WPP recently released a white paper on Content, Transformation and Realization, which provides a detailed interpretation of Chinese social e-commerce.

According to the China Internet Association’s forecast, China’s social e-commerce market will reach Rmb2, 000bn in2019, with more than 48m users, up more than 60% year-on-year. Social e-commerce is seen as the next disruptive model in the Chinese market.

“Current” consumers: users who quickly browse, collect, and buy products.  Today, Chinese consumers have access to more comprehensive information, more dominant in their purchasing decisions,  and more trust in the information they gather, especially the comments of other users.

New ways of interacting: “Today”  consumers are following trends with unexpected brand experiences and retail interactions.  They can shop at home, at work, out of office, or before bedtime,  and this consumer behavior drives new demands from social e-commerce.  

Social First Consumer Transformation:  From Interest to Actual Purchase, the ”Current” Consumer’s Purchase Path must be reached and impacted in a social-first way, including User Original Content (UGC), Professional Generated Content (PGC), and Live Stream.

Quantifiable Consumer “Voices”: In e-commerce channels, user reviews are all present, and consumer “voices” are quantifiable,  and brands can build their own fan base by rewarding consumer sedoration and being brand advocates.

Offset price inflationary pressures with content: As the cost of paid advertising in e-commerce channels increases, brands are increasingly using branded content, including UGC and PGC, to drive growth.

Six mechanisms  for social e-commerce interaction: vertical content community, KOL product launch, co-purchase, gifts, membership and new retail mechanisms can help brands better develop social e-commerce strategies and create positive interactions with consumers.