Online Store Entrepreneurship Handbook - (Latest Revision 2006)

Author: Xu Fei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: This is a comprehensive book in China that introduces online store operations, with strong practicality. The book is structured around the actual process of opening an online store, while incorporating the latest knowledge in online marketing, logistics, and finance. It summarizes many problems encountered by sellers in actual operations and attempts to provide the most feasible solutions. For those who have already opened online stores, they can also learn more about online marketing from this book, especially how to open stores on international online platforms, which is a must for major sellers. Online business has developed rapidly in recent years, with numerous netizens joining the ranks of online entrepreneurs. The book is structured around the actual process of opening an online store, while incorporating the latest knowledge in online marketing, logistics, and finance. It summarizes many problems encountered by sellers in actual operations and attempts to provide the most feasible solutions.
1. eBay (www.ebay.com.cn) is a branch of the global largest trading platform in China. It was actually achieved through eBay's takeover of Yituitang (eBay Yituitang is referred to as Yituitang in this book without special explanation). Currently, Yituitang charges fees for different levels of store functions: standard stores are free, advanced stores cost 150 yuan/month, and super stores cost 500 yuan/month. New advanced stores can enjoy a free trial period for the first 30 days, but if the store level is changed during this period, the discount cannot be enjoyed anymore. It is said that Yituitang earns substantial income from listing fees, transaction fees, and various promotional fees. (Currently, Yituitang charges sellers listing fees ranging from 1 to 8 yuan, based on the lowest transaction price of the product. It also charges a commission, which is the transaction service fee, at a rate of 0.25% to 2% of the online transaction amount per product, and no fee is charged if the transaction does not go through.) Despite this, Yituitang is still in a loss. Yituitang users register via email, and to obtain a higher credit rating, they must register with real-name verification (ID card or credit card). After transactions, both parties can leave credit evaluations, which consist of evaluation types (good/average/poor) and comment content. All evaluations received by a user constitute the user's credit record. Honest and sincere evaluations can provide references for other users, and of course, the evaluators can also benefit from the evaluations provided by others. This method is currently widely used in the e-commerce field.
2. Taobao (www.taobao.com) To compete with Yituitang, Taobao did not charge any store fees for five years (Taobao was established in July 2003 and did not charge fees until July 2008). It is more like a contribution to China's online trading market rather than a competition between the two major e-commerce giants. After several years of nurturing, the number of online sellers and buyers has increased, and online consumption and shopping have become habits for some people, with online market transactions forming a certain trend. Sun Tongyu, the executive manager of Taobao, introduced that after more than two years of business, Taobao has over 18 million sellers (registered members), and registration is completely free. The company will also increase investment in Taobao to continue accumulating popularity, further expand the user base, and make Taobao more familiar to everyone. As for when to start charging, it has not yet been on the agenda. He said that the most important task for Taobao at present is to improve service quality and solve online transaction security issues. Taobao has launched Alipay in cooperation with banks, which is connected with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Merchants Bank, ensuring real-time settlement without fees.
3. Paimai (www.paipai.com) Paimai is an e-commerce trading platform under Tencent. It was launched on September 12, 2005, and officially launched on March 13, 2006. Thanks to the vast user resources of Tencent QQ, Paimai currently has an impressive performance with over 1 million registered sellers, over 2 million online products, over 9 million users, and a growth rate as high as 1285%. Currently, both individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises can open stores on its platform for free. Due to the growing maturity of online transactions, many professional sellers have emerged. Professional sellers...