Taobao mobile transaction reached Rmb 1.8 billion last year

Many people in the industry wonder if consumers are willingly to buy products, specially big ticket items, using their mobile phone.  But, I think there is no more doubt.

Last Saturday Technode  organised a seminar, called NTalks, in Beijing to discuss about mobile e-commerce.  In the seminar, one of speakers said Taobao’s transaction through mobile devices reached Rmb 1.8 billion last year.

In January, Alibaba announced its mobile shopping registered a single-day high gross merchandise value (GMV or the value of merchandise sold across the platform)of RMB37 million (US$5.58 million) and 17 million daily unique visitors.

The speaker said most popular items are computers, mobile phones and camera.  And then, for women, it is cosmetic.  For men, it is items like sport shoes.

Beijing based Li Gou (lig.cn), a startup focus on selling merchandise via mobile phones, also confirms the trend.  “People are willing to buy products with their mobile phones,” said CEO Zhang Yang.  Most of Li Gou’s users are from the low income group, such as soldiers, factory workers, etc.  But surprisingly, they can buy item worth thousands of Rmb, such as laptop.  “Although a solider does not earn much, a few thousand Rmb per month, but he is station at place where there is nothing to buy.  There is no shopping malls near his camp, which is usually in a remote area.   We become his only channel to buy consumer electronics.”