China e-commerce businesses flourish in multiple cultures

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Stimulated by its rapidly expanding e-commerce platforms, China has become the world’s largest e-commerce market.

According to new forecasts from Minte, the size of China’s online retail market has grown nearly 12-fold since 2011 – from 53 billion yuan (7.7 billion US dollars) to 626 billion yuan (90.9 billion US dollars).

More and more Chinese e-retailers have been listed on stock exchanges in the US in recent years, including Jingdong and Alibaba.

To stay competitive in the global market, cross-cultural communication and localization have become two major challenges for these companies.

LightInTheBox is a China-based e-commerce company which focuses on selling products globally outside of China. Max Ciccotosto, Managing Director at its North America branch, told CGTN that their employees have to become “a bit more sophisticated” in working across different time zones and cultures, as well as sharing responsibilities.

“The most interesting set of issues when working across cultures are the ones that deal with processes and personnel matters,” said Max, who lives in Seattle. “It’s important to understand that there are lots of good ways to do things, be open to them, communicate on the why, and listen a lot.”

Founded in 2007, the company has over 1,300 employees globally selling to 200 countries in 22 different languages, with products ranging from custom clothes for special occasions to electronics for family use.