China's largest online store makes global debut
China's biggest online store, 360buy.com, launched its English website today and started to ship goods 'made in China' to the wider world.
en.360buy.com is now selling over 400,000 products to North America, the U.K., France, Germany, Australia, South-East Asia, and South America.
"We are making baby steps," said Shi Tao, 360buy's vice president, according to a Chinese tech news website. "For now we want to purchase goods made in China and ship to oversea customers." Shi also said that 360buy offers free shipping of certain products to 36 countries, and it plans to set up logistic centers abroad to speed up deliveries.
Amid a intensifying online shopping war between 360buy and its two major competitors -- Suning, and Guomei -- the launch of the new English site is seen by analysts as a revenue generating strategy by expanding to the global market, and also making global presence to prepare the company for public listing in 2013.
China's online shopping sales increased 278.8 billion RMB (US$44.6bn) in the second quarter, up by 45 percent year-on-year.