Factors influencing the development of Chinese online retailers : Case study: Taobao

Abstract

During the last five years, the Chinese e-commerce market has experienced a dramatic boom in comparison to other traditional sectors. Due to the rapid advancement of modern technology, an increasing number of people are starting to shop online, which stimulates the development of electronic business and online stores. Therefore, this thesis focuses on studying the factors that have an impact on the development of Chinese online retailers.

Numerous factors can affect consumer behavior and the sales volume of e-sellers such as customers’ personal reasons, product characteristics or price. By studying these factors, online retailers can acquire useful suggestions for developing their online business.

The research question is what are the factors influencing the development of Chinese online retailers. To answer the research question, the thesis examines previous sources discussing the topic and introduces an analysis of the most popular Chinese online shopping website, Taobao. The data was collected by interviewing five Chinese people who have used Taobao.

To conclude, both Chinese online retailers and global e-sellers who are interested in developing e-commerce in China can benefit from the results of this study.