Before reviewing the models, it is necessary to talk about the difference between the traditional overseas shopping model and the existing import e-commerce model.
The so-called “overseas shopping model” refers to the fact that Chinese consumers use B2C e-commerce platforms in other countries to select goods and place orders, and the platform operator delivers the goods to consumers through international express or through a forwarding company.
At present, direct mail and forwarding logistics are the two dominant options for domestic consumers to receive goods. Forwarding logistics means that the seller first sends the goods to the forwarding warehouse established by the forwarding company abroad, and then the forwarding company or other logistics companies deliver the goods to the country.
The overseas shopping model is only one of the methods adopted by import e-commerce. In addition, based on the business form, the operating model of cross-border e-commerce can be divided into five different types. Among them, some e-commerce platforms may adopt several different methods at the same time, but usually there will be a dominant operating model. Therefore, according to the current main forms of retail import e-commerce platforms, they can be divided. Moreover, no matter which model is adopted, many platforms are using it.