55pc of Chinese shoppers buy from Brit brands

55 per cent of shoppers in China bought items from British brands over a three-month period, a Royal Mail study reveals.

According to the research, these shoppers spent on average £104 a month. The average online shopper in China spends £123, compared to just £89 in the UK.

87 per cent of Chinese shoppers like to buy British brands and 76 per cent trust items bought from British retailers not to be counterfeit. 79 per cent of China’s shoppers make purchases via their smartphone, compared to 28 per cent of UK shoppers.

“This study provides a deep dive into the largest e-commerce market in the world. By 2020, China’s e-commerce market is set to be larger than those of the US, Japan, Germany, the UK and France combined,” said Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels. “UK brands are really clicking with China’s shoppers and have a unique advantage as their goods are perceived to be of premium quality.

“UK retailers should feel confident that exporting to China can deliver benefits to their business. Breaking into this market has been made much more straightforward thanks to Chinese third-party platforms such as Alibaba’s Tmall.”