PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Apple has opened an official store page on Chinese e-commerce site Tmall, as part of a retail push in the region.
Tmall is owned by etailer Alibaba, which has previously been predicted to overtake Amazon as the number one online retailer in the world by 2015.
The Tmall store joins Apple’s own online shop and 10 retail locations in the country, and provides Apple with an expansion into the Chinese market using Alibaba’s tools.
Retailers who use Tmall can use the social media tools developed by the company in conjunction with Chinese social media giant Sina Weibo.
Alibaba and Sina Weibo recently launched Weibo Payment, a ‘social shopping’ tool which offers the chance for customers to share their purchases alongside a ‘buy’ link for interested friends.
Alibaba also has its own payment system, Alipay, and holds a number of sales localised for the Chinese market.
Another company to have adopted the Tmall service to try and increase their presence in the region is Microsoft, which launched its official store in March.
