Since 2023, China's consumer market has continued to recover, and imports of consumer goods have grown steadily, becoming an important driving force for consumption upgrading. Recently, the increase in the category of imported goods in consumption promotion activities such as the New Year Festival has not only effectively met the needs of the people, but also reflected the important role of "global shopping" in stabilizing the basic market of consumption, and demonstrated China's firm determination to continue to expand and open up.
In order to help open up the two markets at home and abroad and meet the import consumption needs of consumers, cross-border e-commerce platforms should make further efforts.
Create cross-border e-commerce brand agglomeration. Actively build a cross-border e-commerce brand exchange platform, strengthen multi-channel and multi-form cooperation and exchanges between enterprises, and strengthen information sharing and mutual benefit. Through the Consumer Expo,CIIEand other key domestic exhibitions, strengthen the exhibition and sales of imported goods and improve product quality, and enhance the brand influence and market competitiveness of domestic cross-border e-commerce.
Vigorously develop smart logistics. The platform should attach importance to the development of its own smart logistics, introduce relevant technologies, strengthen cooperation with platforms and enterprises that have developed intelligent routes, do a good job in the construction of relevant supporting facilities, expand the coverage area of the first chain and the storage area of overseas warehouses, introduce smart logistics talents, equip intelligent robots, etc., rely on the "Internet + logistics" model, cooperate with international cross-border e-commerce giants, and develop new logistics channels.
Optimize the layout of the international market. Expand economic and trade cooperation with the countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road", rely on the "Silk Road E-commerce" and "China-Europe Express", etc., take the "Belt and Road" countries as key import places, expand the import scale of aquatic products, vegetables and fruits, and special handicrafts, and meet the needs of the people for consumption upgrading.
In 2024, while focusing on stabilizing the fundamentals of consumption, the policy of expanding domestic demand should adapt to the new trend of consumption growth, cultivate and expand new consumption, and boost bulk consumption. Among them, it is indispensable to continue to release the import potential of consumer goods and boost import consumption, which should be started from the following aspects:
The first is to improve the level of import facilitation. Promote the upgrading of industrial structure with the upgrading of consumer demand. Vigorously promote the construction of import ** innovation demonstration zone, formulate various policies and measures aimed at supporting the expansion of imports, effectively simplify the regulatory procedures of import links, and effectively reduce the institutional costs of import links.
It is necessary to pay attention to the role of various import exhibition platforms, increase the introduction of high-quality overseas products by setting up high-end consumer goods exhibition areas, optimizing the market layout of imported goods, and broadening the marketing channels of imported products, give full play to the demand creation effect of consumer imports, guide domestic consumer demand to transform into individual, green, intelligent and other high-end consumption, accelerate the positive cycle of consumption upgrading with high-quality external supply, and encourage domestic enterprises to increase R&D expenditure through demonstration effect and competition effect. We will invest more resources in the production of high-quality products and promote the upgrading of the domestic industrial structure.
The second is to cultivate emerging domestic consumer demand. The increasing proportion of consumer goods imports year by year will help give full play to the advantages of the local super-large market scale, and help to expand and strengthen the emerging consumer market, which in turn will give birth to new industries, new formats and new models.
Take advantage of itCIIE, Consumer Expo and other exhibition platforms, increase the intensity of overseas innovative products, enrich the consumption scenarios of overseas innovative products, and guide the domestic market to form specific consumer circles and groups characterized by personalization and diversification.
Actively cultivate emerging consumer demand and make it a new economic growth point. Continuously improve market supervision and strengthen policy support, such as strengthening the protection of product intellectual property rights, increasing the reduction of innovative products, and enhancing consumer protection and rights protection channels, so as to promote the formation of a larger market scale for emerging consumption.
Focus on improving the adaptability of domestic supply and emerging consumer demand, guide enterprises to accurately connect with emerging consumer demand, form a production and operation model characterized by customization and flexibility, and lay a solid foundation for the development and growth of new business formats.
The third is to promote the innovation and development of cross-border e-commerce. Encourage qualified enterprises to open cross-border e-commerce experience centers in large and medium-sized cities, explore new business models such as "offline bonded display + online code scanning and drainage", explore and expand the "inspection before shipment" model of cross-border e-commerce export LCL, and include more goods with strong domestic consumer demand into the import list. (The author is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Circulation and Consumption, Academy of International Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce).
*: People's ** Overseas Edition (2024-01-30 Edition 06).