Google Launches Its First Cross-Border eCommerce Acceleration Center in China

Google Launches Center in Xiamen: Key Insights

• Cross-Border eCommerce Acceleration Center: On October 15, Google launched the center to help SMEs in China build an online store to sell overseas.

• Mutual Benefit: Online stores can offer sellers higher profit margins and increased flexibility. Google, on the other hand, strengthens its access to the Chinese market.

Google recently opened a cross-border eCommerce acceleration center in Xiamen. Launched on October 15, the center is built to support domestic SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in setting up an online store to sell cross-border. The project will be starting in Xiamen and Shenzhen in its first phase. 

The offline acceleration center focuses on education, networking and technology setup. China’s eCommerce market is dominated by a few large marketplaces with many sellers. Google’s Acceleration Center aims to provide SMEs in China with the know-how and technology to open their own-branded online stores. Naturally, the benefit to Google is that it establishes itself in the market and collects data.

Reasons to Sell Cross-Border With an Own Online Store

Liang Cuiping is the vice president of Google’s digital marketing solutions in China. He says that in cross-border eCommerce, companies often choose marketplaces to sell their products when they go overseas. As they gain experience and brand recognition, setting up an online store can help them grow their business more organically and earn more.

China exports billions of dollars to foreign markets through eCommerce every year. By 2024, the GMV (gross merchandise volume) of transactions is projected to reach US$600 billion (that is the approximate GDP of Sweden). The steady growth in recent years has been driven by marketplaces in China, as SMEs tend to not run their own online stores.

According to Google, this is about to change. Whether or not its expertise will have a lasting impact on the way SMEs in China operate in cross-border eCommerce, Google is at the forefront of the development, giving it access to the market in a way that is possible.

Sources: Pandaily – Xiamen Area