New e-commerce models bring better customer experiences

New models of e-commerce focus on customers and meet their needs for consumption, cost-effectiveness, after-sales services, social contact and entertainment, ensuring better shopping experiences.

The new e-commerce livestream festival of the third China New E-Commerce Conference (CNECC) was held recently in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, introducing premium products in the province to the rest of the country.

Staff members of the supply and marketing cooperative of Lu'an shoot short videos at a local grape planting base in Lu'an city, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo/Chen Li)

"During the festival, we advertised high-quality agricultural and sideline products from Siping city in the province while the government issued e-coupons, offering preferential prices to more people," said Zhang Wei, deputy general manager of a company in Jilin.

New e-commerce is expanding sales channels. Some e-commerce platforms have taken the initiative to build bases and sign contracts in the growing areas of agricultural products, and empower the industrial chain of agricultural products through direct sourcing, digital operations, and other models.

New e-commerce refers to various innovative models and business forms in the field of e-commerce, including livestream e-commerce, social e-commerce, new retail, interest e-commerce, and instant retail, according to Hua Ying, a professor at the School of Information Technology and Management of the University of International Business and Economics.

New e-commerce, a byproduct of the in-depth integration between the digital economy and the real economy, has significantly changed the models of production, logistics and consumption, playing an irreplaceable role in boosting high-quality economic and social development, upgrading the industry, unlocking the potential of consumption, and helping people achieve a higher-quality life.

Traditionally, buyers would first search for goods and then place orders on online shopping platforms. However, under new models of e-commerce, customers will buy products during the process of watching short videos and livestream sessions. Based on targeted market analysis, new e-commerce platforms recommend appropriate products to customers to help them make a decision fast.

For instance, to lure potential buyers, short video platforms, including Kuaishou, establish trust between streamers and users, and social platforms such as Xiaohongshu put more focus on users' personalized needs.

The emergence of new e-commerce models has driven the innovative development of new home-grown brands and time-honored domestic brands in China. For example, Chinese cosmetics brand Baiqueling has expanded its brand influence through new e-commerce.

New e-commerce platforms have helped domestic brands reach consumers and provided them with more opportunities to attract new users and develop innovative products.