[photopress:on_line_shopping.JPG,full,alignright]This is a forecast. A best informed guess on what will happen. It is probably very accurate but it is still forecasting the future. The Beijing-based Data Center of China Internet (DCCI) says that China’s fast-expanding Internet population will drive a 32% surge in online spending this year.
Total online spending by Chinese Internet users is expected to reach RMB364 billion ($47 billion) in 2007, up from last year’s RMB276 billion ($36.47 billion.)
Netizens spent a monthly average of RMB186 (about $25) online in the first half of the year, including on shopping, gaming and other online services. The figure is likely to reach RMB196 (about $26) for the whole of 2007, up 15.4% from the previous year.
Fu Zhihua, director of the research department of DCCI said China currently has 144 million Internet users, second to the United States, adding that with the number of Internet users growing by 20 million annually, online spending will continue to increase.
The survey also showed online advertising revenues reached RMB3.3 billion ($436 million) in the first half, as much as for the whole of 2005, and is estimated to reach RMB7.6 billion (about $1 billion) for the whole year.
Source: Jongo News