This report analyses the e-commerce landscape in China, South Korea and Japan. It highlights the importance of these markets for domestic strategy and international expansion. The report showcases top retailers and focuses on consumer preferences, product expansion and seamless shopping experiences. It also examines the competitive landscape and how small brands can leverage e-commerce post-pandemic. As a leading e-commerce region, this report is vital reading for both regional and global player
This report comes in PPT.
Oftentimes, East Asia (China, Japan and South Korea) is not discussed as having future market potential like other parts of Asia such as Southeast Asia. However, when it comes to e-commerce, East Asia is a powerhouse globally and regionally, large and growing. Studying e-commerce developments in China, Japan and South Korea can guide success there and beyond.
Understanding which products and industries thrive on e-commerce platforms versus those that underperform is pivotal to crafting a successful online business strategy. This is especially crucial as consumers are going back in store as part of their post-pandemic behaviour.
Health and beauty industries significantly over-index online and capture a significant share of e-commerce sales of all calculated industries in East Asia. Even though health and beauty e-commerce in East Asia is dominated by the top three retailers, emerging players such as Douyin, @cosme and Kurly have disrupted the market by using unique, well-planned and consumer-centric strategies. These new retailers have achieved significant growth by effectively catering to their target audiences.
E-commerce has become essential for businesses in the post-pandemic era, reshaping market dynamics significantly. Industry leaders are effectively integrating digital strategies to maintain dominance across both online and offline channels.
Social commerce presents unprecedented opportunities for product discovery and brand awareness. With billions of users engaging on social media platforms daily, brands can utilise targeted advertising, influencer collaborations and engaging content to reach vast audiences.
Retail is the sale of new and used goods to consumers from a business for personal or household consumption from retail outlets, kiosks, market stalls, vending, direct selling and e-commerce. Retail is the aggregation of Retail Offline and Retail E-Commerce. Excludes specialist retailers of motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle parts. Also excludes fuel sales, foodservice sales, rental transactions, and wholesale sales (e.g. Cash and Carry). Sales value excluding or including VAT/Sales Tax. Retail also excludes the informal retail sector. Informal retailing is retail trade which is not declared to the tax authorities. Informal retailing encompasses (a) sales generated by unregistered and unlicensed retailers, i.e. retailers operating illegally, and (b) any proportion of sales generated by a registered and licensed retailer that is not declared to the tax authorities. Unregistered and unlicensed retailers operate predominantly (although not exclusively) as street hawkers or operate open market stalls, as these channels are harder for the authorities to monitor than permanent outlets. Activities in the illegal market, which is usually understood to refer to trade in illegal, counterfeit or stolen merchandise, are included within our definition of informal retailing. Activities in the “grey market”, which is usually understood to refer to trade in legal merchandise that is sold through unauthorized channels – for example cigarettes bought legally in another country, legally imported, but sold at lower prices than in authorized channels – will be included as informal retailing if no tax is paid on sale by the retailer. However if the retailer pays tax – for example on cigarettes bought legally in another country but sold at a lower price than standard – the sale is included within formal retail.
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