Better online shopping

The Nov 11 online shopping spree has become China's most popular annual commercial event and has created an e-commerce miracle, but much remains to be done to protect consumer rights, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

According to statistics, the Nov 11 sales on Taobao reached 19.1 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) in 2012, and they top 30 billion this year. E-commerce platforms have contributed a lot to the government's efforts to expand domestic demand and improve economic efficiency. But behind the glossy report card, there are still some prominent problems facing the online shopping spree on Nov 11, such as fraud, fake and shoddy goods, delayed deliveries, and so on. There were as many as 93,600 consumer complaints against e-commerce service platform last year in China. So to keep e-commerce developing in an orderly way, the authorities have a lot to do.

A Taobao.com billboard at an auto show in Beijing. The Hangzhou-based website has become the biggest online trading platform in China as well as the most important platform for thousands of online entrepreneurs. [Photo / China Daily]

Preferential policies should be designed for e-commerce development. Currently, expanding domestic demand is the key for sound economic prospects, to make domestic demand a steady driving force of China's economic growth the expansion of the e-commerce market is necessary. Millions of online storekeepers rely on meager profits to survive and they need preferential fiscal and tax policies.

More complementary services should be put in place. Besides offering discounts, consumer satisfaction is essential if the online store is to attract regular customers. To solve the problem of delayed deliveries, the structural and institutional obstacles of the logistics industry should be eliminated and delivery costs reduced.

Online stores should adhere to honest management, sell genuine goods at a fair price to attract loyal customers and supervision departments and consumer watchdogs should keep pace in safeguarding consumers' legal rights so as to create a sound and comfortable online shopping environment.

(China Daily 11/13/2013 page9)