The first maritime-transport cross-border e-commerce platform in the county of Jimo, on the outskirts of Qingdao, Shandong province, is to go online in April, offering imported products with prices lower than those sold in stores at home, according to the Chinese-language Qingdao Daily.

The maritime-transport cross-border e-commerce platform, which will involve only local retailers, enjoys the advantages of lower costs, faster speed and less restriction on parcels, compared to transportation by air.

"We are upgraded to a free trade logistics park, which serves as a base for the maritime-transport cross-border e-commerce platform," said a staff member of the Qingdao Hjoin Logistics Park, which is in charge of operating the maritime-transporting cross-border e-commerce platform.

The first patch of the imported goods from South Korea, Japan and Italy have arrived in Qingdao recently and will go into local market through a network of retailers who are involved in the platform.

Jimo is also planning to launch a maritime-transporting cross-border e-commerce platform for individuals, which is expected to operate by the end of 2015.