Why Korean shoppers flock to Chinese e-commerce sites 한국쇼핑객들이 중국사이트에 몰리는 이유

[김우정]

물가가 치솟으면서 중국 전자상거래 플랫폼을 이용하는 한국인들이 증가하고 있습니다.
지난 10월 알리익스프레스 방문자는 613만명으로 쿠팡, 11번가 다음으로 3위를 기록했습니다. 
중국 플랫폼의 강점은 저렴한 가격과 괜찮은 품질입니다.
중국의 셰인은 가입자가 1억7천만명으로 아마존을 추월했습니다.
As prices soar, more Koreans are using Chinese e-commerce platforms.
In October, AliExpress had 6.13 million visitors, ranking third after Coupang and 11th Street.
The strength of the Chinese platform is its affordability and decent quality.
China's Shein overtook Amazon with 170 million subscribers.
 
Why Korean shoppers flock to Chinese e-commerce sites
왜 한국 쇼핑객들이 중국 전자상거래 사이트에 몰릴까?

By Ko Dong-hwan 고동환 기자
Posted : 2023-12-08 15:35 Updated : 2023-12-08 16:28
Korea Times

Korean actor Ma Dong-seok promotes "customized recommendation items" at AliExpress. Screen capture from AliExpress's website 한국 배우 마동석이 알리 익스프레스에서 '맞춤형 추천 상품'을 홍보하고 있다. 알리 익스프레스 홈페이지 캡처 화면

Low prices, improved quality behind rising popularity of Chinese products
중국제품의 인기상승 이면에 있는 품질향상, 저렴한 가격

Park Soo-beom, a breadwinner in his 40s in Seoul, recently purchased a Christmas tree from AliExpress, a Chinese e-commerce platform where users can purchase products from overseas. Because of the steep market price hikes that have affected virtually all consumer items in the country, price is now his top concern, even trumping quality.
서울의 40대 가장 박수범씨는 최근 중국의 전자상거래 플랫폼인 알리 익스프레스에서 사용자들이 해외에서 제품을 구매할 수 있는 크리스마스 트리를 구입했다. 그 나라의 거의 모든 소비품목에 영향을 미친 급격한 시장가격 상승 때문에, 가격은 이제 품질을 능가하는 그의 최우선 관심사이다.

His choice was a 45-centimeter-high, plastic tree priced at less than 15,000 won ($11.00), a deal almost impossible in Korea's major online shopping websites like Coupang or Gmarket, where it is at least double.
그가 선택한 것은 15,000원($11.00) 미만의 45센티미터 높이의 플라스틱 나무였는데, 쿠팡이나 G마켓과 같은 한국의 주요 온라인 쇼핑 사이트에서는 거의 불가능한 거래였다.

"With a limited budget every month, I have become more fond of the Chinese app as it has a variety of affordable choices," said Park.
박씨는 "매달 한정된 예산으로 다양한 중국 앱을 선택할 수 있게 되면서 중국 앱에 대한 호감도가 높아졌다"고 말했다.

Kim Bong-im, who lives in Daejeon, has recently started using Shein, another Chinese e-commerce platform dedicated to clothing. Here, cost-effectiveness also stands out. That's good news for the 30-something mother of two with a limited housekeeping budget. After buying food and other priority items for her family, she can finally spend some money on herself.
대전에 사는 김봉임 씨는 최근 의류 전용 중국 전자상거래 플랫폼인 '쉐인'을 이용하기 시작했다. 여기에 가성비도 돋보인다. 한정된 살림살이 예산을 가진 두 아이를 둔 30대 엄마에게 희소식이다. 가족을 위해 음식과 다른 우선순위의 물건을 산 후, 그녀는 마침내 자신을 위해 약간의 돈을 쓸 수 있다.

"When I saw an ad banner showing '90 percent sale on trendy items,' I just couldn't get over the urge to click it," said she.
그녀는 "'트렌디 아이템 90% 세일'이라는 광고 배너를 보고 클릭하고 싶은 충동을 이기지 못했다,"고 말했다.

The presence of Chinese e-commerce is growing in Korea. At the center of the trend are AliExpress, Temu and Shein, where affordable overseas items are readily available. As a direct seller-to-consumer transaction, there is no middleman and prices are kept low.
국내에서도 중국 전자상거래의 존재감이 커지고 있다. 그 트렌드의 중심에는 알리 익스프레스, 테무, 쉐인 등 저렴한 해외 아이템을 손쉽게 구할 수 있는 곳들이 있다. 판매자와 소비자 간 직거래로서 중간자가 없고 가격도 낮게 유지된다.

Monthly visitors to the Chinese platforms are already neck-and-neck with their Korean rivals. Last October, Coupang recorded 28.46 million in visitor numbers and 11st, another Korean e-Commerce website, registered 8.16 million. AliExpress followed with 6.13 million, Gmarket with 5.82 million and Temu with 2.66 million. This year, AliExpress' customer base has more than doubled from the previous year.
중국 플랫폼을 방문하는 월별 방문자 수는 이미 한국 경쟁업체들과 박빙이다. 지난 10월 쿠팡은 방문자 수 2,846만 명, 한국의 또 다른 전자상거래 사이트인 11번가는 816만 명을 기록했다. 알리 익스프레스가 613만 명, G마켓이 582만 명, 테무가 266만 명으로 뒤를 이었다. 올해 알리 익스프레스의 고객층은 전년보다 두 배 이상 늘었다.

In terms of the monthly growth rate, however, the Chinese platforms beat the Korean firms. Temu and AliExpress topped visitor charts last October, according to IGAWorks, a digital market analyst. Over 573,900 more users visited Temu compared to September, and 573,500 for AliExpress. They were followed by Korea's CJ Onstyle (480,000), Lotte Homeshopping (400,000) 
and GS Shop (280,000).
그러나 월별 성장률 면에서는 중국 플랫폼이 한국 기업들을 제쳤다. 디지털 시장 분석업체인 IGAWorks에 따르면, 테무와 알리 익스프레스가 지난 10월 방문자 차트에서 1위를 차지했다.  9월에 비해 573,900명 이상의 사용자들이 테무를 방문했고, 알리 익스프레스의 경우 573,500명이 더 방문했다. 한국의 CJ온스타일 (48만), 롯데홈쇼핑 (40만), GS샵 (28만)이 그 뒤를 이었다.

Shein promotes an up-to-90 percent sale on its website. Screen capture from Shein's website Shein은 웹사이트에서 최대 90%의 판매를 홍보한다. Shein의 웹사이트에서 캡처 화면

Shein surpassed Amazon in global app downloads last year with a figure of 170 million.
셰인은 지난해 1억 7천만 명으로 전 세계 앱 다운로드 수에서 아마존을 앞질렀다.
 
Chinese e-commerce platforms have risen in the country mainly because of rising market prices here and interest in more affordable items. Made-in-China items fit the bill and are easily found on Chinese platforms. Quality is also no longer a major issue with Chinese products as they now sell cutting-edge technology products alongside those by other advanced market leaders. Indeed, Koreans are becoming more interested in a certain Chinese robotic vacuum cleaner that is priced at less than 200,000 won, which compares favorably to Korean vacuums that are three times more expensive.
중국의 전자 상거래 플랫폼이 중국에서 상승한 것은 주로 국내 시장 가격 상승과 더 저렴한 품목에 대한 관심 때문이다. 중국산 제품은 가격에 적합하고 중국 플랫폼에서 쉽게 찾을 수 있다. 또한 품질은 다른 선진 시장 리더들의 최첨단 기술 제품과 함께 판매하기 때문에 더 이상 중국 제품의 주요 문제가 아니다. 실제로 한국인들은 20만원 미만의 특정 중국 로봇 청소기에 더 많은 관심을 가지고 있는데, 이는 한국의 3배 비싼 진공 청소기에 비해 유리하게 비교된다.

Before these Chinese platforms emerged in Korea, Korean e-commerce websites sold Chinese products. But they were sold by Korean brokers such as Naver's Smart Store. Regardless of the reputation for low quality, a market for affordable Chinese items was always present here. What the rising Chinese platforms have done in Korea is fuel those needs.
이러한 중국 플랫폼이 한국에 등장하기 전, 한국의 전자상거래 웹 사이트는 중국 제품을 판매했다. 그러나 네이버의 스마트 스토어와 같은 한국 중개인에 의해 판매되었다. 낮은 품질에 대한 평판과 상관없이, 저렴한 중국 제품에 대한 시장은 항상 여기에 존재했다. 한국에서 떠오르는 중국 플랫폼이 한 일은 이러한 필요성을 부채질하고 있다.

"If you look at last August, visitors to AliExpress stood at 5.51 million. That was a 99 percent increase from the same month the previous year," said an official from AliExpress. "When we surveyed our consumers, they shared that they love our platform because of our wide range of sources and products. We now sell more than 100 million products on AliExpress. We also have a direct-from-place-of-origin shipment system to offer the lowest possible purchase price for consumers."
"지난 8월, 알리 익스프레스의 방문객 수는 551만 명이었다. 이는 전년 동월 대비 99% 증가한 수치입니다," 라고 알리 익스프레스의 한 관계자가 말했다. "우리가 소비자들을 설문 조사했을 때, 소비자들은 우리의 광범위한 소스와 제품 때문에 우리 플랫폼을 사랑한다는 것을 공유했다. 우리는 이제 알리 익스프레스에서 1억 개 이상의 제품을 판매하고 있다. 우리는 소비자들에게 가능한 가장 낮은 구매가격을 제공하기 위한 원산지 직거래 배송 시스템도 갖추고 있다."

She said AliExpress' innovative logistics system is another significant strength that has been attracting customers worldwide.
그녀는 알리 익스프레스의 혁신적인 물류시스템이 전세계 고객들을 끌어들이고 있는 또 하나의 중요한 강점이라고 말했다.

"We are currently the fastest shipping platform among international platforms," said the official. "We can deliver within five days. Even for global direct sales in Seoul, we can provide directly to Korean consumers within three days. There could be a day or two difference in logistics delivery speed. But I believe consumers will choose us because of our unrivaled variety of products and prices."
"현재 우리는 국제적인 플랫폼 중에서 가장 빠른 배송 플랫폼이다."라고 그 관계자는 말했다. "우리는 5일 이내에 배송할 수 있다. 서울에서의 글로벌 직판의 경우에도, 우리는 3일 이내에 한국 소비자들에게 직접 제공할 수 있다. 물류배송 속도에는 하루 이틀의 차이가 있을 수 있다. 하지만 나는 우리의 독보적인 다양한 제품과 가격 때문에 소비자들이 우리를 선택할 것이라고 믿고 있다."

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