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Online commerce as everyday infrastructure
The report opens in Shanghai with two students for whom online ordering is part of daily life. Food, drinks, and household items are ordered spontaneously and arrive shortly afterwards. Shopping is not planned in advance but happens whenever a need arises.
What stands out is not only speed, but normality. Online commerce is not treated as a special service. It functions as basic infrastructure, similar to public transport or utilities.
Platforms instead of individual shops
A defining feature of the Chinese market is the central role of platforms. Restaurants, supermarkets, and small local stores are directly connected. Online and offline are not treated as separate channels but as one integrated system.
Logistics and transparency are key factors. Customers can always see where their order is and when it will arrive. This reliability builds trust and helps explain why online commerce is so widely used.
From searching to discovering
Another focus of the report is the shift in consumer behavior. In China, shopping is moving away from active search toward discovery. Products are found through videos, livestreams, and recommendations rather than search bars.
Social commerce is not an add-on to traditional e-commerce. It operates as a model of its own, where content, inspiration, and purchasing are closely connected.
TikTok and emerging buying behavior in Europe
In this context, the report also looks at TikTok and its role in Europe. Our CEO Damian Maib points out that European markets cannot be compared directly with China. Regulations, habits, and expectations differ.
Still, user behavior is changing. Attention is increasingly concentrated in apps. Products are discovered in feeds rather than searched for on websites. TikTok is becoming a place where purchase impulses can emerge directly from content.
What can be taken from this
The report shows that China’s e-commerce success is not driven by speed alone. What matters more is how platforms, content, and purchasing are designed as one connected experience. Shopping happens where attention already exists, not as a separate step.
For European companies, this is an important shift in thinking. Social commerce works differently from classic online retail. It requires content, creators, and commerce to be planned together rather than treated as isolated elements.
Listen to the full episode (in German): https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/e-commerce-in-china-online-handel-auf-speed-100.html
