Inaugural e-commerce expo kicks off in Taipei

2015/10/08

Taiwan’s first e-commerce expo kicked off Oct. 6 at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall, showcasing the latest and greatest developments in one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide.

Co-organized by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), E-Commerce Expo Asia 2015 features 50 industry heavyweights from seven countries and territories displaying their wares in 120 booths. These include PChome Online lnc. of Taiwan, Criteo of France, eGENTIC of Germany, Yandex of Russia, Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. of the U.S., and Sina.com Online of mainland China.

In addition, 40 seminars are scheduled during the four-day event to analyze emerging trends in big data, cross-border trade and mobile commerce.

Chan Hung-chih, head of co-organizer Taiwan Internet and E-Commerce Association, said the show underscores Taiwan’s clout in the global market. “E-commerce accounts for 11 percent of the nation’s overall retail business, a penetration rate next only to South Korea and the U.K., but ahead of the U.S. and mainland China.”

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan’s e-commerce development has received a significant leg-up with the implementation of the Electronic Payment Processing Institutions Act in May. The MOEA projects full-year revenues to reach US$33.4 billion in 2015.

Another distinctive feature of Taiwan’s thriving e-commerce environment is the diversity of its players, Chan said. “In place of large-sized operators such as Alibaba Group or Amazon.com Inc, Taiwan’s small and medium enterprises have helped spur impressive growth and pave the way for ongoing innovation.”

Chan said he expects Taiwan’s unique business model and development experience to be exported overseas, with business representatives from Colombia, India, Malaysia and mainland Chinese expressing great interest.

“There is every reason to believe that Taiwan’s success story will be embraced by the global market on the back of comprehensive exchanges and interactions facilitated by this event.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=237504&ctNode=2194&mp=9)