宜家在華網購平臺爲何姍姍來遲大綱

News that Ikea is rolling out an online shopping platform in China – its first in the Asia-Pacific region – could be a sign that Western retailers are at last reacting to rising costs and shifts in consumer shopping behaviour.

宜家(Ikea)即將在中國推出在線購物平臺，這將是其在亞太地區的首個電子商務平臺。這一消息可能表明，西方零售商終於要對中國市場上經營成本上升、消費者購物行爲發生轉變做出反應。

But what has taken them so long?

但它們爲何花了這麼長時間纔有所行動？

Despite operating online models successfully in the UK and other parts of Northern Europe, it has taken Ikea seven years to get to a similar point in China.

儘管在英國和其他北歐國家成功運營着在線購物平臺，但宜家花了7年時間纔在中國推出電商平臺。

With stores in major cities including Shanghai and Beijing, Ikea has followed a similar strategy to many other Western retailers; investing in bricks and mortar outlets in China’s thriving tier 1 and 2 cities.

宜家在包括上海和北京在內的大城市開設了店鋪，奉行與其他許多西方零售商類似的策略：在中國蓬勃發展的一二線城市投資建設實體門店。

However, consumer demand has been growing right across China and while rising costs remain an issue, Western retailers urgently need a strategy to develop this market potential.

然而，中國各地消費者需求都在持續增長，同時，儘管成本上漲依然是個問題，西方零售商亟需制定挖掘中國市場潛力的戰略。

Online malls are probably the only, viable way for Western and Chinese retailers to reach consumers right across this vast continent – particularly bearing in mind that China has hundreds of tier 3 and more than 1,000 tier 4 cities.

西方和中國零售商要想接觸這個龐大市場的消費者——尤其別忘了，中國有數百個三線城市和逾1000個四線城市——在線平臺可能是唯一可行的途徑。

There is also the problem of a lack of internationally-skilled management in these cities, due to a lack of exposure to international businesses.

由於沒有國際企業入駐，這些城市也存在國際化管理人才匱乏的問題。

For Western retailers, there is the added challenge that China is just one part of their large, global network of territories and senior management teams are typically based elsewhere, so may not be aware of how quickly consumer shopping behaviour is changing.

對西方零售商來說，還有一個額外的挑戰，中國只是它們龐大的全球業務版圖的一部分，高級管理團隊往往常駐其他地區，因此可能意識不到消費者購物行爲是多麼的日新月異。

Developing an independent strategy for expanding a business model in China is not easy for Western retailers, however.

然而，對西方零售商來說，爲擴大中國市場業務模式而研究制定一套獨立的戰略並不容易。

Tesco and B&Q are among those that decided to withdraw from China just a few years after investing in rolling out stores.

有些零售商在中國投資建設門店幾年後就決定退出這一市場，其中包括特易購(Tesco)和百安居(B&Q)。

Rising labour costs and increases in commercial rents are putting pressure on margins and while some Chinese retailers have addressed this by pursuing a 24-hour, micro-store strategy, this is difficult for Western retailers to replicate.

勞動力成本上升和商業租金上漲令零售商利潤率承壓，一些中國零售商通過實施24小時微型店鋪戰略解決這一問題，但西方零售商複製該戰略比較困難。

Walmart China’s decision to restructure its business and sell its e-commerce grocery site, , to the country’s biggest online retailer, , in July 2016 could be interpreted as a further sign that Western retailers are struggling to keep pace with rapid market changes.

沃爾瑪中國(Walmart China)在2016年7月決定重組業務並向中國最大的在線零售商京東()出售其電商網站一號店()，可能被解讀爲西方零售商很難跟上快速市場變化的進一步跡象。

Under Walmart’s ownership, ’s share of China’s online marketplace slipped from 1st to 6th position, according to official data, requiring significant investment to boost its performance.

官方數據顯示，在隸屬沃爾瑪旗下的時候，一號店在中國在線市場的份額排名從第一降至第六，這需要鉅額投資來提升其業績。

This is the most likely reason for Walmart’s decision to dispose of the business.

這可能是沃爾瑪決定處置該業務的最大原因。

Despite the inherent challenges, there is still an excellent opportunity for Western retailers in China.

儘管存在這些固有挑戰，但西方零售商在中國市場仍存在絕佳的機遇。

Ikea’s decision to trial and roll-out an online mall is a bold move and demonstrates that the brand is serious about developing an independent strategy.

宜家試水推出電商平臺的決定是一個大膽的舉措，表明該品牌在制定獨立戰略方面是嚴肅的。

Depending on its success, others are likely to follow.

如果宜家取得成功，其他零售商可能會效仿。

Of course, there are a number of considerations for Western retailers planning to launch online malls in China.

當然，計劃在中國推出在線平臺的西方零售商也有許多考慮。

They would probably need to cooperate with Alibaba or Tencent, both of which have dominant positions and control China’s online payment market.

它們很可能需要與阿里巴巴或騰訊合作——阿里巴巴和騰訊在中國電商市場佔據主導地位，並控制着中國在線支付市場。

They would also need to establish local distribution centres in each sub-area, close to the targeted tier 3 and 4 cities.

它們還需要在靠近三四線目標城市的子區域建立當地物流中心。

Offering low-cost or free delivery is also important in China as many local retailers already offer this.

提供低價或免費派送在中國也很重要，因爲許多國內零售商已經提供了這種派送服務。

Therefore, establishing competitive agreements with delivery service providers in China is essential.

因此在中國與物流服務提供商締結有競爭力的協議非常關鍵。

The business environment for Western retailers in China is changing very quickly and they must choose to accept dwindling profits or invest in online expansion.

西方零售商在中國市場的商業環境日新月異，它們必須選擇接受利潤日益下降的局面或者投資擴大在線業務。

Building on the popularity of its stores, Ikea is taking the plunge and launching an online mall to attract consumers that have so far been out of reach.

鑑於其實體店鋪受到歡迎，宜家決定冒險嘗試推出在線平臺，以吸引迄今接觸不到的客戶。

In this case, allowing time to develop a strong brand presence before making their move could be just the right strategy

在這個案例中，留出時間打造強大的品牌形象、之後才採取行動可能是正確的戰略。