Chinese consumers are set to spend £175bn shopping online in 2013, in a year that’s expected to see the Chinese ecommerce market overtake the US to become global leader.
Alibaba.com, the Chinese marketplace, has brought together the figures in a new infographic. It shows that in 2012, the US was the biggest market with consumers spending $209bn (£138bn) online, followed by China at $194bn (£128bn). UK consumers spent $113bn (£75bn). But it highlights predictions that that’s set to change in 2013, with Chinese consumers spending $265bn (£175bn), US consumers $230bn (£152bn) and UK consumers $123.4bn (£81bn).
By 2015 it’s predicted that Chinese consumers will spend $445bn (£293bn) online, compared with $270bn (£178bn) spent in the US that year and $143.6bn (£95bn) in the UK.
The Alibaba.com infographic points to figures that show more than 242m Chinese people shop using the internet – six times as many as in the UK – and that the country’s online shoppers spent an average of £703 a year in 2012, compared with the £1,083 spent in the UK.
China promises “huge opportunities” for UK businesses, says Alibaba.com. A spokesman said: “It’s well known that the spending power of China’s rising middle-class is changing the global retail landscape. Less understood is the enthusiasm Chinese consumers have for shopping on the internet.”
These figures and more are contained in the infographic from Alibaba.com which highlights how and why people shop online in China. You can see it by clicking here.
