Fast-expanding "online" markets in South Korea and China: are they worth pursuing?

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Kuah, Adrian T.H.;Wang, Pengji
Abstract

The online shopping craze in South Korea has been ongoing for more than a decade, but in China, online shopping is currently experiencing tremendous growth, with 64 million additional shoppers per year. Consumers in Asia are among the world's most prolific online shoppers. This study explains the evolution of the online shopping market in South Korea and China. Using fast-expanding market model as an initial analytical framework and multiple case approach, we find that Chinese online shopping corresponds to the take-off stage of a successful cluster, in which significant opportunities are still present in Chinese Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities. Conversely, the South Korean online market is nearing saturation, though major foreign players are still entering this perceived lucrative marketplace.

Journal

Thunderbird International Business Review

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Volume

59

ISBN/ISSN

1520-6874

Edition

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Issue

1

Pages Count

15

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Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

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Publisher Location

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Publish Date

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Date

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EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1002/tie.21779