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With the development of the Internet, e-commerce has gradually become the dominant model of the global retail industry, which not only brings consumers a more convenient shopping experience, but also brings a broader market and sales channels to merchants. In this area, however, the experiences of China's and Japan's two neighbors are very different.
China's e-commerce has replaced traditional brick-and-mortar commerce in a short period of time, while Japan's brick-and-mortar retail industry is still dominant and increasingly developed. What is the reason behind this difference? This article will explore this issue.
The rise of e-commerce in China
The rise of China's e-commerce industry began in the late 90s, when a number of e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba began to rise. This was when the Internet was just emerging, and people began to realize the commercial potential of the Internet. China's advantage in this regard is that the scale of the Chinese market is large, and the gap between urban and rural areas is large, and e-commerce can bring convenience to remote areas.
In addition, China's economic development has also accelerated during this period, and the continuous growth of market demand has made the scale of the e-commerce market continue to expand. On the other hand, China is a vast country, the physical retail industry is not developed, and many areas do not even have shopping malls. Therefore, e-commerce has become the main way for people to shop. At the same time, the emergence of new technologies such as electronic payments has also made online transactions more convenient and secure.
In this context, China's e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, Pinduoduo, etc. have successfully seized market share from consumers through low prices, a wide range of goods, and convenient shopping experiences.
On the other hand, the Chinese government has also given strong support to the development of e-commerce, such as introducing a series of preferential policies to encourage enterprises to develop e-commerce business. In addition, e-commerce has also become a new driving force for the economic development of some regions in China, so the government also hopes to use e-commerce to promote the development of the local economy.
The strength of Japan's brick-and-mortar retail sector
In contrast, Japan's brick-and-mortar retail sector remains strong. Although Japan also has e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon and Luten Market, they have not risen as quickly as China and replaced brick-and-mortar commerce. On the contrary, Japan's brick-and-mortar retail industry is still dominant and increasingly developed.
First of all, Japan's brick-and-mortar retail industry has a long history and experience. Retail in Japan began in the Edo period and has a history of hundreds of years. With the development of the economy, the brick-and-mortar retail industry has gradually grown. Japan's brick-and-mortar retail industry is dominated by department stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores, which are usually concentrated near city centers or residential areas to facilitate consumers' shopping needs.
In addition, Japan's brick-and-mortar retail industry focuses on service quality and customer experience, such as free gift wrapping, free food tastings, regular promotions and other services, which make consumers feel very satisfied.
Secondly, Japan's culture and consumption habits have also influenced the development of brick-and-mortar retail. Japanese consumers are very concerned about the quality of goods and services, and are willing to pay more for it.
Japanese consumers are also accustomed to shopping offline, and they like the physical store experience and social features. For example, Japanese people usually go to department stores or specialty stores to choose when buying gifts, because this gives a better understanding of the characteristics and nature of the goods, and the store staff will provide professional advice and service.
In addition, Japan's brick-and-mortar retail sector has also benefited from government support. The government has introduced a series of preferential policies and incentives to support the development of the brick-and-mortar retail industry. For example, the government provides support such as low-interest loans, tax breaks, etc. to help brick-and-mortar businesses reduce costs and improve competitiveness.
Differences between China and Japan
From the above analysis, it can be seen that the differences between China and Japan are mainly in two aspects: one is the difference in market demand and consumption habits, and the other is the difference in government support.
In terms of market demand and consumption habits, Chinese consumers pay more attention to the price and variety of goods, and are willing to choose online shopping in order to obtain lower prices. Chinese consumers are also paying more attention to the convenience and speed of online shopping, so e-commerce platforms have successfully grabbed market share through these advantages.
On the contrary, Japanese consumers value the quality of goods and services and are willing to pay more for them.
Consumers in Japan are also paying more attention to the offline shopping experience and social features, so the brick-and-mortar retail industry has received more support and development. In terms of government support, China's e-commerce development has received strong policy support and capital investment. The government encourages the development of e-commerce through various policies, such as tax exemptions and preferential loans, which have played an important role in promoting the development of e-commerce platforms.
In addition, China's capital market is also very active, and many e-commerce platforms have received a lot of investment and financial support. The investment of these funds has enabled the rapid expansion and development of e-commerce platforms and quickly occupied market share.
In contrast, the Japanese government has relatively little support for brick-and-mortar retail. Although the government has also introduced some support policies, they are relatively insufficient compared to China's e-commerce support policies. In addition, Japan's capital market is relatively conservative, and investment and financial support for the physical retail industry are relatively limited. As a result, the development of the brick-and-mortar retail industry is relatively slow and cannot compete with e-commerce platforms.
conclusion
China is e-commerce killing entities, Japan is entities killing e-commerce, this difference is mainly due to market demand and government support. Chinese consumers are paying more attention to price and convenience, and the government's strong support for the development of e-commerce has led to the rapid development and rapid market share of e-commerce platforms. On the contrary, Japanese consumers pay more attention to quality and service quality, while the government's support for brick-and-mortar retail is relatively limited, resulting in relatively slow development of brick-and-mortar retail.
What does this difference tell us? First of all, we need to realize that the market demand and consumption habits of different countries and regions are different, and we cannot simply copy the business models of other countries, but need to combine the actual local conditions to formulate our own development strategy.
Secondly, the government plays an important role in business development, and the strength and method of government support will also have a profound impact on business development, requiring the government and enterprises to work together to give full play to their respective advantages and promote business development.
Finally, whether it is physical retail or e-commerce platform, service quality and user experience are very important, only by continuously improving service quality and user experience can we win the trust and loyalty of consumers, so as to achieve sustainable business development.