China’s third-party e-commerce services market is forecast to grow at 21 per cent annually until 2018.

One of the major emerging trends in this market is the blurring of the line between e-commerce and commerce, according to online market researcher Sandlerresearch.org.

Various sales channels are being integrated and customers are having a consistent experience across all channels, eventually diminishing the difference between e-commerce and commerce, it says.

“China is one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world. Traditional retail and consumer brands in the country are looking to enhance their online presence. Considering the current state of the market, starting e-commerce operations in China is a bit difficult.”

“Hence, many retail and consumer brands outsource part of their services to one or multiple third-party service providers in China,” says the researcher.