Ankit Singh and Juan Alberto Calero

Part A – e-Commerce in China vs USA 1. Overall, what are some key opportunities and challenges (obstacles) that confront ecommerce in China? How are these challenges similar / different from those confronting e-commerce in the US (or other countries that you are more familiar with)? Some of the key opportunities of e-commerce in China are: The internet penetration rate in China is growing at a much faster rate as compared to other countries. 25.5% users in China have engaged in e-commerce, while in US 71% has done so. This represents an enormous opportunity for e-commerce services, given that there is room for growth in China. The market is China is still in the beginning of its growth stage. The manufacturing prowess of china provides an excellent complement to the ecommerce market. Online shopping market has grown 64.1% over last year to $1.5 Billion. Online B2B market is valued at 65.7 B 69.8% yearly growth. With these accelerated growth rates, the e-commerce market will developed very quickly, players need to be aware of the stage of e-commerce in China and address the market accordignly. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to 68.8% of nation gross industrial output. Only 28% of SMEs utilised third-party B2B e-commerce platform. The government has a plan to increase it to 80% by 2012. Given this, the projected demand for e-commerce is known. In addition , players also known which type of businesses are using e-commerce. They can design strategies to attract this segment and to understand what factors are important for SMEs. In the US, likewise e-commerce has also been concentrated towards B2B. Restriction SME’s ability to develop customer and suppliers beyond boundaries, fragmentation of suppliers and buyers, limited communication channels to market and promote products and small scale of operations are