Taking your brand international is something almost all companies dream of, but there’s a certain level of challenge that comes into play when that international country is China. This is because even though it is the world’s most populous country, they live by their own rules. Their social media platforms are nothing like ours, in fact, they don’t even have Google there! So, when it comes to globalizing your brand and taking things international (in China), you’re going to need to put some extra thought into it.

Chinese Digital eCommerce agency: Is It Necessary?

Well, let’s just put it this way: if you are interested to tap into the Chinese marketplace with your eCommerce business but have had no prior experience doing so, it is not going to be easy. The best thing to do is hire some external help, aka, China’s digital eCommerce agencies, and take it from there.

Why they’re necessary, you ask? Well, these agencies specialize in helping companies make their way into China successfully. Despite the kind of company you are and the business you run, they are trained to tailor customized packages that tend to your needs in order to make it an effective effort in the Chinese market. Your best shot is finding a company that has experience dipping their toes in various fields (and not necessarily limited to eCommerce). Then again, agencies that have multiple success stories of helping companies successfully launch their eCommerce websites in the Chinese market might also be a good shot. The choice is yours.

But in this article, we will talk about what China’s digital eCommerce agencies do to make it work, and how they operate so you know what you’re getting into.

Designing an eCommerce Strategy from Scratch

Even though you have an effective eCommerce strategy in place that worked wonders in other countries, you may have to make several changes, and in worse cases, start from scratch. But the good news is that you’re not alone, and even better, you won’t have to move a muscle. The hired China eCommerce agency has got your back. They focus on creating a unique strategy that helps you seamlessly enter the marketplace: this is done by researching the existing competition in the market, collecting consumer insights, and creating multi-channel strategies. After all this thorough planning, you will have a good eCommerce strategy before you tap into the market.

Setting Up Stores & Working On Their Operation

Setting up stores might be your forte but remember: everything needs some extra thought in China. Even with store setups, you need to consider what kind of store design would appeal best to the typical Chinese consumer. After discussing store design and development, they would also take care of online store operations, potential creative promotions, and much more. We won’t get into the technicalities of it all, but one thing’s for sure: it’ll be a load off your mind. Additionally, they will take care of customer service, which has a huge impact on China.

Localization: Everything China!

Then, of course, comes the daunting, scary cross-border problems one would have to face while shifting their business to China. This is inclusive of the cross border payment gateways, taxations, and other policies, most of which would take a while for you to get accustomed to. Hiring a Chinese digital eCommerce agency to do this for you would make life so much easier. And of course, then there’s localizing your website itself: remember, Chinese customers, do not want to see English websites. In fact, they will immediately exit if they don’t see Chinese: this will also be handled by the hired agency.

Pull Out All The Stops: eCommerce Marketing Techniques

After all, the technical requirements of an eCommerce business have been taken care of, that’s when the digital eCommerce agency gets to work: the marketing side of it. We all know the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in today’s digital world. In China, consumers are very dependent on their mobile phones and a lot of their daily decisions are influenced by what they see on their phones. The agencies, therefore, leverage social media platforms by using social media marketing to reach out to customers. Most Chinese eCommerce agencies also make use of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) which has a very high success rate in China.