eBay and Global Sources Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement and Release White Paper on Cross-border E-commerce Export of Consumer Electronics

March 9, Shanghai - Today, eBay announced that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Global Sources and jointly released the "White Paper on Cross-border E-commerce Export of Consumer Electronics" (hereinafter referred to as the "White Paper"). Under the guidance of this strategic cooperation, the two parties will integrate their respective platform and resource advantages, connect eBay sellers with Global Sources' high-quality suppliers, continue to share insights on the overseas export of consumer electronics and smart home appliances, help cross-border e-commerce companies strengthen their supply chains, seize opportunities for the overseas export of electronic products, and bring China's high-quality consumer electronics products to consumers around the world.

In recent years, overseas consumer purchasing demand has shifted online, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of traditional foreign trade enterprises to cross-border e-commerce. As one of the world's largest and most dynamic cross-border e-commerce platforms, eBay has a group of excellent sellers committed to bringing "Chinese smart manufacturing" overseas; Global Sources is a B2B procurement platform with international advantages, which has accumulated a large number of high-quality suppliers and databases in the consumer electronics category. eBay and Global Sources have both targeted the huge potential of cross-border e-commerce exports in China's electronic category and signed a strategic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement, eBay and Global Sources will build a platform for procurement and supply docking and information exchange. eBay sellers can directly contact high-quality suppliers and manufacturers by participating in Global Sources' offline exhibitions and services, and further improve the supply chain. In addition, the two parties will further connect and develop multiple interconnections of online platforms, cooperate to release data and insights on the overseas export of consumer electronics categories, share market information marketing activities such as annual marketing calendars, and help cross-border e-commerce companies layout global exports.

eBay Greater China Sales and Category Management General Manager Pang Tao (left) and Global Sources CEO Hu Wei (right) signed a strategic cooperation agreement

Pang Tao, General Manager of Sales and Category Management for Greater China at eBay, said: "eBay has been an important channel connecting Chinese sellers and overseas consumers for many years. We look forward to working with Global Sources to help sellers connect directly with high-quality suppliers, allowing more high-quality products to reach global consumers through the eBay platform and creating Chinese brands with global influence. Consumer electronics are one of the main forces in the electronics category on the eBay platform. We hope that the release of the white paper can help cross-border e-commerce companies seize the global market opportunity and achieve long-term development after corporate transformation and upgrading."

Regarding this cooperation, Mr. Hu Wei, CEO of Global Sources, said, "As a B2B multi-channel trading platform with international advantages, Global Sources has always been customer-centric and has promoted international trade with high-quality platform services. This cooperation with eBay runs through the ecological chain of international trade, integrates the advantageous resources of both parties, and realizes the interactive complementarity of multiple business forms and resources; enhances the service value of both parties, leads customers to face the complex and changing global market together, promotes the integration and progress of B2B and B2C trading models, and promotes the development of global trade.

Consumer Electronics White Paper: Cross-border e-commerce has become a hot channel for consumer electronics exports, with huge room for growth

The "White Paper on Cross-border E-commerce Export of Consumer Electronics" released this time targets consumer electronics categories, which have seen increasingly strong demand in overseas markets in recent years. Based on data from Global Sources and eBay platforms, it analyzes best practices in dimensions such as new forms of cross-border e-commerce, development of consumer electronics exports, and trends in sub-categories, helping Chinese companies that are interested in going overseas to explore development opportunities in this hot channel of cross-border e-commerce.

Since the emergence of China's cross-border e-commerce retail export industry, the electronics category has always been the double champion of sales and sales volume, among which the consumer electronics category is the fastest growing category in sales. Chinese sellers have the inherent advantage of being backed by the consumer electronics manufacturing base. In the process of serving global consumers, a large number of local companies have not only accumulated strong manufacturing capabilities and R&D strengths, but also mastered relatively cutting-edge technologies in related fields, standing at the forefront of the consumer electronics wave, making consumer electronics one of the most promising categories for cross-border e-commerce exports. In recent years, many traditional foreign trade companies are actively trying to expand online channels and expand their business scale. According to an on-site survey conducted by Global Sources at the Hong Kong Consumer Electronics Show held in October 2021, about 50% of exhibitors reported that they were more dependent on online channels than before. With its large market potential and high single product profits, the export of consumer electronics has become a strong engine to drive the performance of Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers.

eBay and Global Sources jointly released the " Consumer Electronics Cross-border E-commerce Export White Paper"

The "Consumer Electronics Cross-border E-commerce Export White Paper" jointly released by the two sides pointed out that China is a major producer of consumer electronics products, and the sales data of Chinese sellers on eBay can partially reflect market demand. It is worth noting that the epidemic has changed the consumer electronics market, and the demand for categories related to the "stay-at-home economy" has achieved rapid growth in recent years. Data from the eBay platform show that the market demand for small kitchen appliances such as blenders, air fryers, and mini refrigerators has clearly shown an upward trend. For example, the sales of countertop blenders, food processors, and toasters in the third quarter of 2021 increased by more than 150% compared with 2019 before the epidemic, while the sales of air fryers increased by nearly 100%, and mini refrigerators increased by more than 70%. The prevalence of activities such as home entertainment and home office has also driven the sales of TVs and solid-state drives, with sales increasing by nearly 60% compared with before the epidemic. The influence and acceptance of Chinese consumer electronics brands in the world are further improving.

The white paper summarizes the overseas market trends and hot-selling categories of consumer electronics, helping sellers to understand market demand in a timely manner and seize market opportunities:

-The growth in smartphone sales expands the market opportunities for mobile phone accessories. According to data released by Canalys, global 5G smartphone shipments will reach 770 million units in 2023. With the growth in global smartphone sales, consumers' demand for mobile phone accessories is also increasing. Mobile phone accessories such as fast charging, wireless charging, mobile phone cases, and LCD screens, which Chinese sellers have manufacturing advantages, will also usher in rapid growth.

-Consumers have higher requirements for audio products. In addition to "listening to the sound", they hope for better sound quality, more complete functions and more artistic appearance. Under the global epidemic, electronic audio products have been popularized by online teaching, online conferences and other activities, and the export value of wireless headphones, microphones, headsets and other products has continued to rise. In the first quarter of 2021, China's exports of major electronic audio products reached US$8.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of nearly 44%. The United States, the United Kingdom and Germany are still the main consumer markets for audio equipment.

-Demand for wearable technology continues to grow as various application scenarios deepen. In the first quarter of 2021, global shipments of wearable devices hit a record high, exceeding 100 million for the first time, an increase of nearly 35% over the same period. The rise of remote work and the COVID-19 pandemic are factors driving product sales growth. Smart watches and ear-worn devices are the main wearable products.

-The rise of gaming e-sports has increased the attention paid to gaming peripheral products. New business models such as advertising and live streaming have promoted the development of the e-sports industry. In order to cater to the development of e-sports, manufacturers have adjusted traditional hardware and peripherals. In terms of product lines, gaming peripherals such as gaming keyboards, mice, and headphones are products with high attention in the peripheral market.

-The smart home system is moving from single-product intelligence to whole-house intelligence . More and more home appliance manufacturers are starting to build interconnected smart home systems, and whole-house smart customized solutions are gradually becoming a new trend in the development of the smart home industry. Open source and interconnection between different platforms are emerging, allowing smart home products from different brands to be connected together. There is strong demand in the market segments such as smart security, smart home appliances and smart lighting.

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