China E-Commerce 2025: The Platform Map, and Why Retail Is Going Local

Table of Contents 
China’s e-commerce market keeps setting the reference point, not because it is “bigger,” but because it is more integrated.

The key change for retail is simple: online and offline are converging into one operational loop. Discovery, conversion, fulfilment, and service are increasingly designed as one journey, often inside a single app.

China also has the user base to sustain this integration. The country had more than 1.12 billion internet users as of June 2025. State Council of China

The platform map, in one page

China’s major commerce platforms have distinct strengths. Most brands end up operating across several at once because each platform owns a different part of the funnel.

Alibaba (Taobao, Tmall, 1688)

  • Taobao and Tmall anchor marketplace commerce at scale (C2C and B2C).
  • 1688 supports domestic wholesale and sourcing (B2B), often relevant for manufacturers and distributors.

JD.com

  • JD continues to position around logistics reliability and quality control.
  • JD reported its annual active customer base surpassed 700 million in October 2025. 

Pinduoduo (PDD)

  • Pinduoduo remains defined by value and social shopping mechanics, with deep reach beyond top tier cities.

Douyin e-commerce

  • Douyin is the clearest example of content and commerce collapsing into one interface.
  • Reported RMB 3.5 trillion GMV in 2024 shows the scale of in-app conversion. 

Kuaishou e-commerce

  • Kuaishou remains a live commerce heavyweight, with deep penetration outside tier 1 cities and a strong community dynamic.

Xiaohongshu (RED)

  • RED is still the primary trust engine for many lifestyle categories, driven by UGC and peer validation.
  • It is reported at 300M+ monthly active users.
  • Screenshot to include: a RED brand profile page showing “店铺/Store” and a product shelf.

Meituan

  • Meituan is a local commerce infrastructure: food delivery, local services, and increasingly instant retail.
  • It is reported to hold around 70% of China’s food delivery market share. South China Morning Post

Vipshop

  • Vipshop stays focused on discount retail for branded goods, operating like a rolling outlet model.

 

 

The big shift: e-commerce is getting physical again

If you want one trend that explains 2025, it is instant commerce.

Instant commerce is not “delivery” as a feature. It is a new retail expectation built on nearby inventory, local fulfilment, and app-native routing. It changes what consumers consider normal for daily goods.

eMarketer cites a forecast that instant commerce retail sales will reach RMB 1.003 trillion in 2025, with growth outpacing total retail ecommerce. 

This is where online and offline integration becomes structural:

  • Stores behave like mini warehouses.
  • Delivery fleets behave like retail infrastructure.
  • Apps behave like a local operating system, not a national catalogue.

What this means for global brands in China

Global brands do not enter “China e-commerce” as a single channel. They enter a platform system where each player owns a different consumer habit.

A practical way to think about it is by capability, not by logo:

  • Marketplace scale and search intent: Alibaba ecosystem, JD.
  • Content-led conversion: Douyin, Kuaishou.
  • Trust-led discovery: Xiaohongshu.
  • Local fulfilment and services: Meituan, and the broader instant retail push.

 

 

Turning insight into action with BBG

BBG helps global brands translate this platform reality into an operating plan: platform roles, content strategy, and what needs to be local versus global.

We also help teams localise for China’s retail formats that now move at “always on” speed, from short video and livestream workflows to store-level visibility and performance loops.

POV: China remains one of the most dynamic retail markets in the world. The pace is intense, but the opportunity is still very real for foreign brands that adapt fast and build for platform-specific execution.

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