DHgate.com and Tencent signed a strategic agreement to create a social cross-border ecommerce application. This social commerce system will make on demand B2B communication and deal making a reality for global buyers and sellers, to help DHagte.com to realize their goal of creating an online silk road.
DHgate.com’s service system will be upgraded through Tencent’s advantage in connectivity. The cooperation will have 3 phases. Phase 1 will be to co-develop a cross-border ecommerce instant messaging tool that will allow buyers and sellers to directly communicate anytime, anywhere. Phase 2 will be to co-develop a social cross-border customer relationship management system (SCRM). This new function will allow DHgate sellers to sort their customers into different categories so that sellers can deliver tailored marketing packages to different groups of buyers in order to help promote themselves. Phase 3 will be to build a social cross-border business platform together.
According to a report from McKinsey, there are already 900 million people communicating cross-border through social media websites, and 360 million who participate in cross-border ecommerce.
“The future of the cross-border ecommerce industry has great potential,” said DHgate.com Founder and CEO Diane Wang. “The cooperation with Tencent will make DHgate.com’s all-in-one B2B service even more systematic, and will strengthen our leading position.”
DHgate.com bills itself as the largest cross-border B2B ecommerce marketplace in China. Founded in 2004, DHgate.com has approximately 10 million global buyers from 230 countries and regions, with 1.2 million global sellers offering 33 million products.
DHgate.com’s business enables buyers to directly access global manufacturers of the world’s top brands with rich product selections. DHgate.com is an all-in-one platform with integrated services for international logistics, cross-border payments, internet financing, etc. DHgate.com’s U.S. product distribution warehouses allow for 24 hour delivery and convenient product returns and refunds.
Tim Parry is Multichannel Merchant’s Managing Editor, and the lead programmer for Growing Global.