Debra Li debra_lidan@163.com A THREE-DAY e-commerce fair will conclude Friday at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center in Bao’an District, where more than 1,500 exhibitors have brought their latest products and services to four halls at the venue. Occupying over 80,000 square meters of exhibiting space, the fall version of the 2024 China (Shenzhen) Cross Border E-commerce Fair (CCBEC) gathers quality merchandise in electronics, home appliances and utensils, sports gear and patio furniture, healthcare products, pet supplies, as well as gifts and handicrafts. The fair also convenes logistics firms, e-commerce platforms, and other service providers to offer one-stop solutions to e-commerce traders. The fair aims to curate a highly-condensed experience for exhibitors and buyers, where businesses along the industrial chains can find new partners and opportunities, said Wendy Wen, managing director of Messe Frankfurt HK, co-organizer of the fair. “The ability to innovate, and to offer professional services and unique, quality products, is the lifeline of any business,” she said, adding that the fair hopes to present yardstick products for global consumers. To that aim, CCBEC awarded 10 service providers of the year and 10 products of the year Wednesday morning, acknowledging their achievements and hoping other businesses will be inspired by their success. The honored service providers include sales operator Hippiy, logistics firm Ninja Van, digital service provider OgCloud, and Deheng Law Offices, which helps clients protect their legal rights overseas. Nanyang-based Zhichuangyuan Tech, with a booth in Hall 15, is among the 10 firms honored for their products. Zhou Lei, a manager with the firm, said business is especially good, as more than 700,000 high-speed hair dryers have been sold so far this year, already more than last year’s total. An OEM and ODM manufacturer, Zhichuangyuan sees its hair dryers topping best-seller lists on Amazon. “We are in the middle of a process to phase out the traditional hair dryers and replace them with high-speed ones, which dry the hair with pure wind, not high temperatures, to better protect the hair,” Zhou explained, adding that technological upgrades offer new market opportunities. Not just big-name platforms like Amazon, AliExpress, Walmart, Timu, and Shein are present; lesser-known platforms like Cdiscount, a popular shopping site in France, also set up booths to lure potential clients. In Hall 13, a booth co-presented by A&S Media showcases the newest intelligent household products and digital sales solutions, offering a glimpse into the future of cross-border e-commerce. The fair also welcomes for the first time a block of businesses from Taizhou, a city in Zhejiang Province famed for its strong industrial base related to auto making, and another block of companies from Jiangsu Province. To better serve industry insiders, the CCBEC arranges 14 seminars on the sidelines of the fair, offering insights into market trends, logistics trends, tax policies, IPR protection, and sales strategies such as social media marketing. Insiders from Shopee, Mercado Libre, and Jumia have been invited to share know-how on marketing in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, reflecting an increasing demand from those markets. In May, the State Council published a notice urging all levels of local governments to encourage cross-border e-commerce by improving infrastructure and supporting businesses financially. Statistics revealed that there are over 1,000 cross-border e-commerce industrial parks in China, as well as over 2,500 operational overseas storage facilities. An economic powerhouse in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen is home to over 150,000 exporters involved in cross-border e-commerce. Nearly half of the Chinese sellers on AliExpress, Lazada, and eBay are based in Shenzhen, while 1/3 of the Chinese merchants on Amazon are from Shenzhen. With its first edition initiated in September 2021, CCBEC is held annually in Shenzhen. | 