The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce

China is the largest e-commerce market in the world and the most digital of the major economies. At the same time, many international brands are intimidated by the China market given their lack of familiarity and the significant cultural and language differences.

The Smart Business Guide helps bridge this gap by providing a how-to approach to the China e-commerce ecosystem. E-commerce provides a powerful tool for brands to reach consumers and offers the predictability and statistical feedback that dramatically reduces the costs of a brand to enter the China market.

A quick, punchy read, The Smart Business Guide is a useful book for consumer brands, retailers, and entrepreneurs. It covers critical areas such as:

— How any brand can be a pure-play e-commerce brand in China
— How Chinese consumers are different from U.S. consumers
— The main platforms and social media channels
— Case studies of success and failure in China
— How to deal with market entry challenges, trademark registration, and product approval
— How to compete and win in the most challenging — and most promising — retail market in the world

Frank Lavin has 30 years of experience helping companies succeed in China, through leadership roles in banking, marketing, and diplomacy. In government, Frank served as US Ambassador to Singapore and US Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade. In the latter role, he was lead trade negotiator for both China and India and was the senior policy official responsible for commercial policy, export promotion, and trade negotiations.

In the private sector, Frank was most recently an Asia practice leader at Edelman, and prior to that he worked in senior finance and management positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Bank of America and Citibank. Frank also served as Chairman of the Steering Committee of the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo.

Frank is the co-author of Export Now (Wiley). Frank earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University; an M.S. in Chinese Language from Georgetown University; an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University; and an M.B.A. in Finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Frank has a monthly column in Forbes.com, writing about China digital strategy and this market’s evolving landscape.