MILAN, June 18 (Class Editori) - The ICE Agency addressed to the promotion of the Italian trade and Tencent IBG, the e-commerce platform launched by the Chinese social network WeChat, have signed a MoU in order to support Italian small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the Chinese e-commerce market at favorable conditions through WeChat.
ICE and Tencent have agreed upon the launch of Pavilion Italia, namely a platform on WeChat (the official account) where Chinese consumers can directly have access to an e-commerce area, which has been specially designed (mini-program), in order to purchase products of the companies which are present on Pavilion Italia.
“E-commerce represents the key for the services development by ICE, in order to guide companies in the transition towards the digital sector and focus on the modernization of the processes, with the aim of widening the rate of usual exporters and enhancing the value of the export from Italy”, as Carlo Ferro, President of the Agency, has explained. “We consider the agreement with the ecosystem WeChat a great opportunity for Italian companies to present Made in Italy products on the B2C platform which is used the most in China, by adapting themselves to a key market for the export of our country.”
The impact on sales of the Italian companies products could be significant, by considering that WeChat is used each day in China by more than one billion users: it is an ecosystem in uninterrupted connection with the surrounding world, where users perform many of their daily tasks, by exploiting the potential of the digital sector: from the access to health services to entertainment activities; from bank services management to chats with friends; from news to online and offline mobile payment, through the integrated digital wallet.
In China, in 2018, 600 million people purchased online: a huge market if compared to 180 million in the USA and 300 million in Europe. The value of Chinese online sales amounted at €682 billion, while in the USA were recorded 438 billion and 196.3 in the UK. The potential is even higher with the widespread diffusion of the 5G technology, which will accelerate processes and will make the products image more appealing.
On the other side, the physical purchases have recorded a significant slowdown. This trend has already started in 2019 and has been confirmed by the data of the first quarter of this year, with the value of exports from Italy to China amounting at €2.5 billion, while the previous year it amounted at 3 billion. The fall in export started in 2018, after the peak of 13.5 billion reached in 2017.
In the context of ICE strategy of accelerating the access to digital marketing for Italian enterprises, which is made by 25 agreements with market-places in 15 countries, the agreement with Tencent is a promotional opportunity for the e-commerce, in particular in this difficult moment during which the health emergency is quickening transition processes to the digital sector in lifestyle and consumption habits.
Pavillon Italia, where all the consumer goods sectors will be represented, will be supported by digital campaigns related to Made in Italy promotion, carried out with the ICE contribution. Companies will create their digital shop window in order to benefit from the storytelling created for Pavilion Italia as well as from the adjustment and the cultural support in order to better approach Chinese customers. Lastly, the project provides for the integration of WeChat technologic functions to ease those knowledge and digital sale processes which are typical of the current Chinese society.
“Through the use of Tencent technologies and platform and the support by the ICE Agency network, we are glad to be part of this project in order to provide Italian companies our innovative technologies and the key indicators about Chinese consumption market. We strongly believe in the shared values of quality and uniqueness”, as Enrico Plateo- Business Development Director in Europe for Tencent International Business Group- has commented.
The companies which take part in the ICE initiative will be helped and trained by Digital Retex Srl, the partner company of Tencent for the project management, which will provide them a services’ package.
“We will provide them an end to end service from e-store creativity to customer-care, from the payment management with WeChat Pay, to the revenues’ transfer, passing through logistics and cross-border: these are the elements which, according to us, represent the most appropriate answer in order to help companies in the most complex market worldwide”, as Fausto Caprini- Digital Retex CEO- has explained.
Tencent uses technology with the aim of improving Internet users’ life through two social platforms, WeChat and QQ, which connect users with one another thanks to digital services and contents - both offline and online - by making their lives easier.
The advertising platforms help advertisers to reach hundreds of millions of consumers in China. FinTech services and business support the business partners’ growth, their digital one as well.
Check the website www.ice.it/wechat to register for the project and have all the information (including the application form.) (All rights reserved)
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