China Rural Online Shopping Penetration Exceeds 38%
Eastday.com, 2/10/12
The 2011 Report on Chinese Rural E-Commerce, developed by students at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and other institutions from a survey of 1,000 villages in 19 provinces and municipalities around China, recently found that e-commerce penetration had reached 38.4% among rural internet users. Apparel, music and video, and books accounted for the bulk of purchases. 82% of rural internet users reported making one or two e-commerce purchases per month, while 58% said they spent RMB 100 or less per purchase. Many rural respondents, however, said they had not realized the potential for using e-commerce to sell locally produced items.
39% of survey respondents had never used the internet before. The majority of rural internet use was focused on entertainment, including games, online video and television, and QQ instant messaging. More complicated applications, including blogs and BBS discussion forums, were less commonly used.
Security concerns, including concerns about the security of online payments and the quality of products purchased online, were the chief reason given for not using e-commerce.
66% of surveyed users said logistics and delivery services were available locally, but many rural residents still have to travel relatively long distances to pick up items purchased, considerably decreasing the convenience of online purchases. Home delivery is still rare in rural areas, and rural customers overwhelmingly expressed preferences for cash-on-delivery.
The survey found that of 513 respondents, only ten had sold locally produced goods through e-commerce services.
Keywords: national statistics B2C C2C e-commerce Internet penetration rural logistics
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