2022 China E-Commerce Trends: Opportunities Under Pressure

What's Inside

The giants of China’s highly platformized $2 trillion e-commerce sector are facing increased regulatory pressures. We see these pressures opening up opportunities for a more diverse online retail channel characterized by a multiplicity of players and sub-channels.

In this report, we outline 10 trends for Chinese e-commerce in 2022 and discuss how brands and retailers that are targeting the China market could capitalize on the changes we expect to see over the course of the year. We cover key topics such as alternative retail, mini-program ecosystems, livestreaming, short-video platforms, C2M, luxury e-commerce and more.

For more on key retail trends in 2022, read our 2022 Retail and Technology Outlook and our 2022 Global Retail Trends report.

Contents (Click to navigate)

What’s the Story?

2022 China E-Commerce Trends

1. A Tighter Regulatory Environment Is Set To Spur Shifts in Focus and Create Pockets of Opportunity
2. “Alt. Retail” Will Gain Traction
3. Walled Gardens Will Crumble—but Mini Programs’ Ecosystems Will Retain Their Power
4. Livestreaming Will Go from Strength to Strength
5. Short-Video Platforms Will Provide Greater Competition to E-Commerce Platforms
6. Private Traffic Will Deepen Brands’ Connection with Customers
7. More Players Compete in Rapid Delivery
8. C2M Will Grow Further
9. Luxury E-Commerce Will Be Supported by a Permanent Repatriation of Spend
10. We Will See a Stronger Lower-Tier Focus in E-Commerce