Chinese e-commerce platforms help exporters tap into domestic market

By Wang Ke, Liu Shiyao, People’s Daily
In response to the challenges posed by changes in the external market environment, a number of Chinese e-commerce platforms have introduced a range of initiatives, including direct procurement, dedicated sales zones, traffic support, and supplier-buyer matchmaking, to help export-oriented enterprises expand into China’s domestic market. These efforts have yielded encouraging results.
“Our shop on WeChat recorded over one million yuan ($138,560.77) in single-day sales for the first time,” said Li Xiongfei, head of a kitchenware manufacturing company based in east China’s Zhejiang province. The company’s products are primarily exported to North America, Europe, and the Middle East markets.
Recently, Tencent, the tech giant that operates the social media app WeChat, rolled out 10 support measures, including fast-track onboarding, incentives for new merchants, traffic support, and commission discounts, to help foreign trade enterprises broaden their access to both domestic and international markets.
In 2023, the kitchenware manufacturer ventured into an online shop on WeChat, but due to limited operational experience, the results were modest. With the new support policies in place, Tencent’s business solutions team began providing “one-on-one” coaching on livestream planning and visual design, gradually improving the company’s performance.
“For example, during our livestreams, the platform advised us to highlight the cookware’s light weight and ease of cleaning — features domestic consumers’ priorities. As a result, viewership jumped from a few hundred to tens of thousands,” Li said.
Wang Zhuo, head of the business solutions team for WeChat online stores, noted that many export-oriented enterprises have highly competitive products, with strong fundamentals in materials, design, and quality control. By optimizing their sales strategies to better align with domestic consumer preferences, such companies can gradually build brand recognition and connect with broader customer bases.
According to a Ministry of Commerce official, in line with the overarching plan for an initiative aiming at promoting premium export-oriented products in the domestic market, efforts are underway to leverage e-commerce’s distribution advantages and China’s position as the global leader in online retail market to facilitate export companies in shifting to domestic sales.
15 leading e-commerce platforms have responded actively, implementing 8 categories of measures including direct order procurement and supplier-buyer matchmaking.
As of April 23, 9 platforms had opened fast-track onboarding channels, while 6 had established domestic sales zones, facilitating over 6,000 connections with foreign trade enterprises, more than 600 of which have already opened online shops.
Ma Hong, general manager of Zhuhai K·SKIN Co,. Ltd. (K·SKIN), a manufacturer specializing in electronic beauty devices and haircare products, told People’s Daily that within just half a day, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com helped the company identify over 10,000 shelf-ready products for immediate listing.
K·SKIN has long focused on overseas markets, selling products such as hair straighteners, facial steamers, and beauty devices. After learning of the company’s needs, JD.com’s personal care appliances team responded quickly. The head of the beauty appliance division led a team to Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong province for in-depth discussions. Together, they swiftly selected products for immediate domestic sale, with additional support to follow, such as adding Chinese-language manuals to facilitate the products’ entry into the domestic market.
Recently, JD.com announced its plan to purchase no less than 200 billion yuan worth of export-oriented products for domestic sales over the coming year. Leveraging its self-operated model and robust supply chain, JD.com will directly source high-quality products from foreign trade enterprises and launch a dedicated online zone for premium export-oriented goods to accelerate market entry. The platform will also provide intensive training programs for onboarded merchants.
In the coming months, Chinese retailer Suning.com will hold offline consultation events across Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong provinces, offering operational training and support services. It will leverage its online platform, over 1,000 self-operated stores, and more than 10,000 county- and township-level retail outlets to help foreign trade enterprises expand sales channels.
A common challenge for export-oriented firms lies in their limited experience in domestic e-commerce operation. In response, e-commerce platforms are rolling out targeted initiatives to help these businesses establish online sales capabilities as quickly as possible.
Taobao and Tmall, platforms under Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, recently launched an initiative to support at least 10,000 foreign trade merchants and 100,000 product listings. Through six specific measures including rapid onboarding, semi-managed services, localized merchant support, and direct procurement from Tmall Supermarket, merchants can get onboard within a day and start selling the next.
Meituan, a Chinese shopping platform for hyperlocal commerce, has also introduced green channels for merchant onboarding, operational support, and brand building to help foreign trade goods launch across its ecosystem.
For example, Meituan’s front-end warehouse service Xiaoxiang Supermarket will establish a dedicated zone for high-quality export products and offer customized marketing strategies. Meituan’s private-label brands are partnering with foreign trade firms that have strong supply chains and manufacturing capabilities to jointly develop cost-effective, high-quality products tailored for domestic markets. Since Meituan officially launched its green channel, more than 200 enterprises have entered the domestic sales matchmaking process.
“We will sustain efforts to foster collaboration among platforms, industries and local governments, to help exporters shift to the domestic market, thus stabilizing foreign trade and expanding consumption,” said a Ministry of Commerce official.