Thai vendors keen on expanding into China

Creating a corporate identity, testing products among Chinese consumers and utilising online marketing channels on e-marketplaces are among the crucial factors for expanding Thai products into the Chinese market, according to the Thai E-Commerce Association.
Thai exporters should also capitalise on live commerce and establish a cross-border e-commerce channel with China fulfillment centres, the association says.
The association and UOB are collaborating with Douyin International, a cross-border import business-to-consumer platform, to facilitate the import of local products for Chinese shoppers.
According to Douyin, in 2023, through 22 ports, it sent 3,800 brands, 900 categories and 120 million product items from 78 countries and regions to 48 million Chinese consumers.
The association has also collaborated with WeTV to advertise products in the Southeast Asian market.
Douyin is the Chinese version of short video application TikTok.
“There’s an opportunity for Thailand to stimulate cross-border e-commerce, particularly in Asia, and mainly in China, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam,” said Kulthirath Pakawachkrilers, the association’s president and chief executive of Thailand e-Business Center (TeC).
The Chinese market offers great potential to increase digital GDP for Thailand, due to a gradual increase in the volume of cross-border import business in China, she added.
In 2025, the value of China’s imports via the e-commerce sector are expected to reach 13.2 billion yuan (62.8 billion baht), up from 10.5 billion yuan in 2024.
She added that e-commerce, live commerce and key opinion leaders represent significant investment opportunities under China’s policy for cross-border e-commerce in 2025, particularly for Thai businesses looking to enter the Chinese market.
China’s strong e-marketplaces and social commerce can help Thai merchants access Chinese consumers through platforms such as WeChat, with 1.3 billion monthly active users; Xiaohongshu, with 100 million users; Weibo, with 520 million users; WeTV, with 120 million users; Douyin, with 800 million users; and Kuaishou, with 500 million users.
Ms Kulthirath said Thai business owners need to register trademarks and conduct product testing with Chinese consumers to gain insights in order to identify which provinces’ residents will wish to purchase their products compared with those of their rivals.
They should establish a presence along with a payment system in China and also have accounting and legal advisors.
There are both opportunities and challenges for Thai brands looking to export to China. Chinese e-marketplaces represent a key market in Asia that is open to foreign sellers.
Thai brands need Chinese-language product catalogues and need to utilise online marketing through official accounts on platforms such as Weibo, Taobao, TikTok (Douyin) and WeChat’s mini programmes.
They should also promote their products via key opinion leaders and key opinion consumers and engage in real-time selling via cross-border e-commerce, supported by fulfillment centres and distributor/partner representatives in China.
“Brands need to monitor comments and reviews regarding quality and services, and make data-driven decisions,” Ms Kulthirath added.
She suggested Thai merchants select influencers that fit with their brands, including influencers who will persuade people to make their first purchase, influencers who love their brands or key opinion customers and influencers who can help them build long-term relationships for customer retention and advocacy.
“Expanding into China is not too difficult, but it requires the right steps.”
In China, key opinion leaders live stream and promote sales on a variety of e-commerce platforms, she added.
For example, Li Jiaqi, a beauty blogger who has over 65 million followers on Douyin, was able to achieve sales of over 15,000 units of lipstick in just five minutes.
She said the Department of International Trade Promotion uses key global opinion leaders to raise awareness and generate the Thailand Trust Mark symbol.
However, policymakers can implement more impactful moves to promote cross-border e-commerce by establishing a national e-commerce training and certification programme, incentivising innovation via e-commerce startups and provide digital transformation support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
They should also create an e-commerce and digital career development fund, and more cross border e-commerce facilitation and regulations.
Ms Kulthirath said to succeed in overseas markets requires the “3Cs”, beginning with “Culture” by embracing and showcasing unique Thai culture as a selling point.
The two other Cs are “Connect” with customers and partners by using digital tools, and “Consistency” through quality and service to build trust and loyalty.