Does cross-border e-commerce O2O have a way out? Perhaps. For example, some friends in the circle choose to open stores in third- and fourth-tier cities. On the one hand, they help local governments introduce cross-border e-commerce projects; on the other hand, they can also obtain government subsidies for rent, store decoration, etc., so as to make profits. However, this is a tricky business method after all. Cross-border e-commerce O2O is difficult to develop as an independent business format. It is suitable to be a supplementary business format, which is specifically manifested in the following four aspects:
(1) Brand marketing model. In order to establish a better brand image, some online cross-border e-commerce companies will open cross-border e-commerce O2O experience halls in the bustling areas of first-tier cities. For example, after transforming into a cross-border e-commerce company, Jumei Youpin opened an offline experience store in Wangfujing, Beijing to enhance its brand image.
(2) Precision cooperation model. Some cross-border e-commerce companies and some offline chain stores have highly overlapping consumer groups. They can cooperate precisely and exchange what they have. For example, the imported maternal and infant cross-border e-commerce company MiYa cooperated with the children’s education institution Red Yellow Blue. The two parties jointly established an offline O2O maternal and infant store to achieve mutual complementation of the two business formats.
(3) Transformation model of traditional retailers. For traditional offline chain retail enterprises, the cross-border e-commerce O2O model can not only enable them to transform into the cross-border e-commerce trend, but also make full use of their existing offline store resources. Therefore, we see that You’a, Guangbai, Tianhong, BBK, Intime, China Resources Vanguard, Wanda, etc. have all set up cross-border e-commerce O2O stores. Although cross-border e-commerce O2O may not necessarily reverse the downward trend of these offline retail giants, it is at least a beneficial supplement to their existing business formats.
(4) Innovative model. The common import cross-border e-commerce O2O is to open physical stores in China, while the innovative cross-border e-commerce O2O is to cooperate with foreign duty-free shops, allowing tourists traveling abroad to experience the products in foreign stores and then place orders online. For example, Fengqu Haitao’s cross-border e-commerce O2O is based on outbound travel. It places a QR code in foreign duty-free shops that Chinese people often visit. After scanning, users can purchase the same products online as in the store, and then Fengqu will deliver them back to China. The price after free shipping is the same as in the physical store.
In short, although cross-border e-commerce O2O seems to be very popular, it is very difficult to operate. However, if it is used as a supplement to existing businesses, it is a rational choice.