Chongqing - Chongqing's cross-border e-commerce flourishes with a dynamic blend of virtual and physical shopping experiences. The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park is at the forefront, propelling local enterprises into the global marketplace. 

A media delegation recently toured Chongqing's Jiangbei and Yuzhong districts to examine the city's efforts to enhance cross-border e-commerce. Their strategy involves the development of e-commerce industrial parks, online platforms, and physical stores. 

The China-Singapore (Chongqing) Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park, a joint venture between the Alliance Investment Group and the Chongqing government, is tailored for burgeoning young businesses. It has successfully drawn in major e-commerce entities like Amazon. 

Liao Honghai, president of Alliance Investment Management, emphasizes the significance of crafting an environment in industrial parks that caters to the unique needs of cross-border e-commerce firms, often led and staffed by individuals from the post-1990 generation. 

Leveraging Chongqing's logistics advantages, especially the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), the industrial park has become a key hub in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and nearby provinces, crucial in developing a southward foreign trade corridor. 

With a high occupancy rate reaching 98%, the industrial park accommodates over 80 companies and has enabled export trade worth 3 billion yuan (about USD 42.2 million).

Direct delivery of Chinese products to international consumers

As a pioneer among cross-border e-commerce enterprises in the park, Osell.com attracts global executives engaging in cross-border deals. The platform, the nation's most significant B2B cross-border e-commerce hub, is crucial in facilitating the international expansion of Chinese manufacturing. 

Feng Jianfeng, Osell.com's founder, shared that the company's innovative "two countries and two parks" model integrates domestic procurement with overseas service centers, providing end-to-end services for the traditional foreign trade supply chain. This approach ensures direct delivery of Chinese products to international businesses and consumers.

Feng also highlighted the rising popularity of Chinese specialty agricultural products overseas, like Grand Qimen black tea and Fuling pickles. 

He added that Osell.com plans to expand further into countries in jointly building the Belt and Road, using the internet to aggregate orders. This strategy benefits domestic suppliers and aids in the global expansion of Chinese brands.

In the offline retail sector, Chemist Warehouse (CW) opened its first store in Chongqing's Yuzhong District in July. 

As a prominent Australian retail chain, CW offers a unique shopping experience where consumers can experience products in-store and order them online, with the entire process from order to customs clearance taking just three minutes.

An official from the Yuzhong District Commission of Commerce discussed the introduction of CW as part of a new retail model, which aims to integrate online and offline shopping experiences and deepen the connection between free trade zones and special customs supervision areas.

Since Chongqing was designated as a comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone in 2016, the sector has seen significant growth, with a turnover of 40.71 billion yuan in 2022, marking a 27.9% increase.