Since we had our 2nd baby, time has been short. So for the last 3 months we have been resorting to Internet shopping for almost all our daily needs. I am currently residing in Metropolitan Shanghai, and being the metropolis that it is, there are people everywhere and sometimes shopping out can get a bit tedious. That, coupled with the snarling traffic, Internet shopping has been a lifesaver.
Our 2 main resources for Internet shopping in China are Yihaodian (Translated as: Shop #1) and Taobao.
Yihaodian.com
Yihaodian is the go-to grocery store in China that delivers to most major cities. Launched in July 2008, Yihaodian offers more than 75,000 products ranging from clothing to grocery to consumer electronics. Less than 3 years after launch, the company boasts a whopping 2,000 employees and logistics operations in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.
Their success has garnered the attention of US shopping giant Walmart, that has acquired a stake in it.
Wal-Mart this morning announced that it intends to acquire a minority stake in the holding company of Yihaodian, a massive B2C ecommerce company based in China. The transaction is expected to close within 60 days, the retail giant says.
May 13th 2011
Because of these guys, the only reason I go grocery shopping is for my fresh goods like meat, vegetables and fruits. Everything else is delivered to my doorstep with 2-3 days ? Cash on delivery ? no extra charge.
As my wife and I share the same account, we just look thru their app and put the stuff we need into the cart from our iPad/iPhones and click ?buy? when we are ready. Thus far, I have had tons of heavy shopping delivered to me saving me time and the effort of carrying stuff home.
Taobao.com
Taobao is the Amazon of China. Owned by the Alibaba Group, Taobao is China?s leader in Internet shopping.
Sellers are able to post new and used goods for sale on the Taobao Marketplace either through a fixed price or by auction. The overwhelming majority of the products on Taobao Marketplace are brand new merchandise sold at a fixed price; auctions make up a very small percentage of transactions. Buyers can judge the sellers? credit from their selling prestige, or the history of comment and complaint.
Enjoying the ?Zhai? Life
In China – they call it the ?Zhai? Life ? meaning, ?cocoon?. Cocoon life means staying home and have everything delivered to your doorstep. This growing market is almost half the size of China (According to Chinese media agency MEC).
Besides shopping for necessities, it?s become a game for try to find stuff that we cannot usually find. For example I recently found a pair of baby chopsticks complete with finger holders to let my 2 year old have a go at using the chop sticks. Other frivolous (but fun) items include a kite complete with LED lights for night flying, bread maker. We are only 3 months into it so the funs just starting!
One caveat though. These Apps and sites are in Chinese and deliver to only Mainland China.
