Online shoppers' high expectations

Deutsche Bank analyst Alan Hellawell said Chinese online shoppers may be new to e-commerce but their expectations are high.
During a panel discussion on e-commerce in Beijing this week, Hellawell said Chinese online retailers have achieved a level of service that far surpasses the US, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In Beijing, for example, if a customer were to place an order at 10 a.m., it would be possible for that order to be delivered by 3 p.m.
Companies hoping to compete would have to make the logistics of payment and delivery an important part of their strategy. Alibaba Group, 360buy and Newegg all work to very high standards in this area.
Hellawell estimates that e-commerce penetration will grow from 2% to 7.2% of the total retail market in China by 2013. In the US, the current figure is about 6%.