Rural consumers offer opportunities for China’s e-commerce giants amid slower growth in cities

Rural China added 3 million more Internet users in the first half, taking the total number to 225 million, or 26.3% of the country’s total Internet population. Online sales in rural areas surged 21% to US$109.6bil last year, outpacing the national growth rate. — SCMP

Two years ago Li Yuhua’s daughter taught her how to shop online. Since then, the 51-year-old farmer in Wushan, a small village of around 100 people in China’s central Hubei province, has been a regular online shopper, even pre-ordering 2,000 yuan (RM1,184) worth of goods this week ahead of China’s Singles’ Day shopping festival next month.

“I have so many choices online and can get a refund if the products don’t suit me,” Li said, adding that she was tired of carrying goods back home from shops in town. “In our village, the elderly people who don’t know online shopping feel a little bit ashamed of themselves. They asked me to teach them how to use Taobao and Pinduoduo.”