Next Version Of Baidu Maps Help You Find Your Friends
The next version of Baidu Maps mobile apps will help you find your friends in real-time, that means you’ll be able to view a friend’s position as they move and also chat with them right within the app so as to help one another meet at the same spot. The feature will come in v5.1 of the Baidu Maps app and the function will work only when all parties consent to. In the past years, the app has been updated a great deal as Baidu, China’s top search engine, puts a lot on emphasis on location-based and mobile-oriented offerings.
Source: ireasearchchina.com
E-commerce Volume Exceeds 8 Trillion RMB
The value of e-commerce transactions in China totaled 8.1 trillion RMB in 2012, with a growth rate 4 times GDP, according to a report from the Ministry of Commerce. Mobile e-commerce and cross-border online business are surging with the development of a mobile internet based on the constant upgrade of Internet technologies including cloud computing. More than this smartphone penetration rate stands at 66 percent. Lin Yizhang, chief executive officer of eBay Greater China agrees that “credibility is the key to the development of e-commerce, especially cross-border online business”.
Source: chinadaily.com.cn
China Working On Its First-Ever E-Commerce Law
According to thechinaperspective.com, China might tax online vendors and a 5% tax is expected to be levied by the end of 2013. Legislation covering online transactions and services was put on the agenda by two legislative bodies under the 12th National People’s Congress and it is expected to tackle malpractices such as unfair competition, lack of intellectual property rights protection and tax evasion.
Source: chinadaily.com.cn / thechinaperspective.com
Consumers More Willing To Spend In Q1
A Nielsen research showed that during the first quarter, consumers in eastern China reported the highest confidence index 113 points, followed by the southern region at 107, the north 106 and the western region at 101.Confidence in China’s rural areas, often seen the country’s most economically optimistic, fell two percentages from 114 to 112 in the first quarter. Growth in total retail sales of consumer goods in April increased by 12.8 percent, a three-month high, compared with 12.6 in March, according to National Bureau of Statistics. Yan Xuan, president of Nielsen in China underlined that the main concerns of the Chinese consumers are about the quality and safety of food and non-food products, and this results in the purchase of more expensive products.
Source: chinadaily.com.cn