Amazon.com Inc., the United States' leading e-commerce platform, has introduced its Amazon Global Store in China on Thursday, with the goal of capturing the Chinese market, the firm told the Global Times through an email statement.
Customers from China can choose from a wider variety of products, as the categories offered in the Amazon Global Store include merchandise from other branches in Europe and Japan, the firm said.
According to the press release, the initial product offerings in the Amazon Global Store are mainly nutritional supplements and baby formula milk powder. About 60 percent of these items are available only in Amazon China.
The country's overseas e-commerce expands rapidly, with revenues rising from 1.6 trillion yuan in 2011 to 3.75 trillion yuan ($586.1 billion) in 2014, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.
This steady growth has attracted various e-commerce giants, such as the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
Alibaba's Tmall.com also sells cross-border products on its online store, and has built 11 overseas platforms based on the origin of the merchandise, such as the U.K., New Zealand and France, the report said.
The report added that Alibaba has begun talking to 20 embassies in China for more high-end products to be featured on Tmall.com.
Amazon may be considered as more credible compared to Alibaba since the former offers goods directly rather than just consigning items from different sellers, Shanghai Wanqing Commerce Consulting's founder Lu Zhenwang told the Global Times on Thursday.
U.S.-based iconic department store chain Macy's stated on Wednesday that it entered into a joint venture in China with Fung Retailing to offer merchandise on the global marketplace through Alibaba's Tmall.com, Reuters reported.
"A deep base of suppliers and an advanced global logistics network are Amazon's advantages in cross-border e-commerce," said Ge Daoyuan, Amazon China's president.
Delivery of purchased items in the Amazon Global Store will take only three days since they will be shipped straight from China's free trade zones, according to Amazon's press release.
The U.S. company said in the press release on Thursday that it will provide "various" and "local" payment methods" for the Chinese market, but it revealed no specifics.
China's customs authority will be overseeing overseas e-commerce traders who perform cross-border transactions, and might require information on orders, payments, and logistics before filling out customs declarations, according to a report released by the General Administration of Customs on July 24.