However that comparison isn’t entirely accurate, as Tmall charges sellers high tariffs and allows retailers to create a customised store that matches their existing brand image, including additional features such as bespoke content pages.

And it has quickly grown to become one of the dominant forces in Chinese ecommerce. According to Alexa rankings Tmall is the 8th most-visited site in China, while other research shows that the marketplace accounted for around 50% of China’s burgeoning B2C online retail sales.

So it’s not hard to see the attraction for Western businesses. But what are some of the other reasons that brands should consider Tmall?

Read on to find out, or for more information on this topic read our blog post detailing 25 stats on ecommerce in China or download our report on South-East Asia Digital Marketing Trends.

Brand awareness

One of Tmall’s key selling points for Western brands is the ability to build brand awareness among Chinese consumers.

If your brand has little or no visibility in China then it’s useful to be able to join an existing online mall rather than trying to set out on your own.

Tmall dominates the Chinese ecommerce market to such an extent that it is an effective way for brands to showcase themselves to Chinese consumers.

For example, Casio told the Wall Street Journal that it was “impossible not to take advantage” of Tmall for brand building given how many users it attracts.

Guarantee of genuine goods

The danger of counterfeit goods looms large over the Chinese ecommerce market, so one of Tmall’s most attractive selling points is that it guarantees that all items are the real deal.

Tmall sellers have to pay a hefty deposit that they lose if they are caught selling counterfeit goods. These same rules don’t apply to Taobao, for example.

Therefore it establishes a brand’s reputation among Chinese consumers, which is particularly important for companies that don’t have an established presence in the country.

Guaranteed traffic (almost)

Tmall is an excellent option for brands that are testing the water or just beginning an expansion into China.

Given the site’s massive popularity, it’s likely to be easier to attract traffic to a Tmall storefront than it is to a new ecommerce site, which would require a huge investment in paid search and other marketing channels.

This is certainly true for brands that already have third-party licensed sellers operating on Tmall, as it means that Chinese consumers will already be searching the site for that brand.

For more information on options other than Tmall, read our post investigating whether Baidu pay per click advertising the only way into China?