If you're looking to get on the best e-commerce platform for small business owners, it helps to now think globally. Thanks to the widespread adoption of smartphones and the pandemic, consumers worldwide have forever changed the way they shop.

Shopping from home or your mobile has now become a ubiquitous practice for many people - and demand for imported goods and services has increased exponentially as a result of this. Consumers have discovered that imported brands can offer great prices, high-quality products, and fast delivery times.

The most dramatic uptick in consumer demand can be found in Asia and China’s e-commerce platforms. Last year Chinese consumers alone spent over £1 trillion online, and there are no signs of this growth rate slowing down.

A survey conducted by Visa also found that 87% of e-commerce leaders believe international sales will become an essential revenue stream by 2024. Therefore, cross-border sales is no longer a lofty ambition for brand owners who want to scale up their business – it should be their Plan A strategy.

If you want to ensure that your brand remains competitive in the years to come, make sure you put Asian markets in your sights. This article will run through some of the best e-commerce platforms in Asia.

Tmall Global

The most popular cross-border e-commerce website, Tmall Global, has over 350 million registered users. The site was created by Alibaba in 2014 and is a marketplace that features over 20,000 brands across 4,000+ product categories, including clothing, cosmetics, food, home appliances, and furniture.

Previously, Tmall required international sellers to partner with a registered Chinese business. However, the site now allows international firms to list on the platform independently. To get set up, brands need to register on the site, create an online storefront and begin utilising PPC and social media advertising (predominately through Weibo) to draw in customers. 

Once partnered with Tmall, you can enjoy an increased number of product sales, as the site boasts a 57% market share of all retail e-commerce transactions made in China.

JD Worldwide

JD Worldwide is one of China's most established e-commerce marketplaces, as its original company iteration, JD.com, was launched way back in 1998. Here, you can find listings for electronics, home appliances, food, clothing, and other accessories. JD’s 300 million registered users are responsible for 13% of China's total e-commerce retail sales.

Many international sellers believe JD Worldwide is one of the most accessible e-commerce platforms to join in Asia. There is no requirement for international merchants to register as a business with the Chinese government. However, there are ongoing running fees for listing your products on the site. On the plus side, these fees are believed to be very reasonable in comparison with other China e-commerce platforms.

JD also has excellent fulfilment capabilities, with over 200 completely automated fulfilment warehouses across the Chinese mainland.  It can offer customers next-day or same-day delivery, in some cases.

Pinduoduo

Founded by a former developer at Google, Pinduoduo has a unique e-commerce business model which relies on social selling. With an average of over 290 million site visitors a month since 2019, Pinduoduo offers discounts on goods to users who recommend products to friends.

For instance, a typical listing will feature two price tags – one of which will be a significant markdown on the original price. To access the discounted price, site users must convince two or more friends to buy the same product at the same time. Pinduoduo listings are seamlessly integrated with social networking site, WeChat, allowing users to share the discounts with their friends easily.

Partnering with an e-commerce marketing agency is highly recommended if you wish to start selling on Pinduoduo. An agency well-versed in China’s marketing climate can help you get accustomed to Chinese social media culture, as well as advise you on finding the right products to test within this novel discount shopping model.