While Chinaโs insatiable consumers are still recovering from their hangover on Singles Dayโthe countryโs equivalent of Black Friday and now the worldโs largest shopping spreeโAmazon China is bringing the real Black Friday to the country as Thanksgiving falls on Thursday this week.
Many Chinese shoppers may not be aware, but the American e-commerce giant has been running its Chinese version of Black Friday since 2014. The 72-hour campaign comes in less than two weeks after Singles Day and aims to capture Chinaโs increasing appetite for imported products. With discounts on oversea brands aside, Amazon Prime members are eligible for unlimited domestic and international free shipping.
This year will mark Amazon Chinaโs largest Black Friday by the number of products on sale, the company claims. On Amazon Chinaโs curated list of โmust-buyโ items are some of the favorites among Chinaโs rising middle-class, such as UGGโs classic cuff tall boots, Sam Edelmanโs over-the-knee boots, Boseโs noise-canceling headphones, and Phillipsโs electric toothbrush.
Despite its dominance in many Western countries, Amazon has yet to crack the Chinese market. Amazon Prime made its foray into Asia last year and quickly took off in India, but its future remains obscure in China where local competitors Alibaba and JD.com dominate. According to iResearch and the US Department of Commerce, Amazon holds less than 1% of Chinaโs B2C e-commerce market in 2016. The rest is divided up by Alibabaโs Tmall at 56.6% followed by JD.com at 24.7%. The countryโs cross-border e-commerce market is a fierce competition between Alibabaโs Tmall, JD.com, and NetEaseโs Kaola.
Amazon has sought to continue its Chinese e-commerce dream through working with local players, including its $20 million funding in Chinese online food vendor Yummy 77 in 2014 and a strategic partnership Chinaโs electronics appliance maker GOME starting April 2016.
