Perspectives
Bang on schedule, Tencent’s major play in the B2C e-commerce marketplace opened this morning. Called QQ Buy, it’s the internet giant’s push against the dominance of Alibaba, especially its brand-oriented TMall site.
The new Buy.qq.com will have a similar focus on well-known brands and labels, and also apes TMall’s move to allow rival, specialist e-commerce sites to open up virtual storefronts. We’ve already confirmed with Tencent that OKBuy, WalMart-backed YiHaoDian, 51Buy, V+, Kela, and TianTian are all on-board. It’s an attempt by the two major players to be the Chinese consumer’s choice of one-stop online shopping.