关注社会:靠网店占领中国市场

It is no secret that it is no longer that cheap to make things in China. But now, it is becoming expensive to sell there, too.

中国的制造业成本已经不再那么低廉，这并非什么秘密。但现在，中国市场的销售成本也变得越来越高。

Neiman Marcus, the US multi-brand luxury retailer, plans to enter China via e-commerce rather than traditional bricks-and-mortar. And it is not the only one. A report due to be published on Friday shows that the spiraling cost of doing business in the country is driving other foreign companies with new products away from traditional retailers and into the arms of e-commerce firms.

销售多个品牌奢侈品的零售企业奈曼-马库斯(Neiman Marcus)，计划以电子商务方式进军中国，而不打算在那里建立传统的实体店。奈曼-马库斯并不是唯一一家这样做的企业。上周五发布的一份报告显示，受中国营商成本飞涨的影响，一些手中拥有新产品的外国企业正在远离传统零售商，转而投入电子商务企业的怀抱。

The problem for retailers looking to get into China may be two-fold. Listing costs are high — but brand recognition may not travel online. The Neiman Marcus news was greeted with scepticism by local retail analysts. Shaun Rein of China Market Research in Shanghai said: "nobody knows who Neiman Marcus is in China."

希望进入中国市场的零售商面临两重问题。一方面，开店的成本很高；另一方面，若只在网上销售，恐怕难以树立品牌知名度。中国当地的零售业分析师对奈曼-马库斯的做法持怀疑态度。位于上海的中国市场研究集团(China Market Research)的雷小山(Shaun Rein)表示：“在中国，没人知道奈曼-马库斯是谁。”

Rumours have been swirling for years about Neiman trying to get retail space on the Shanghai Bund for a large new store. Most analysts see it as essential for foreign brands — especially luxury brands — to have bricks and mortar shops to bolster their credibility in a country where seeing is still believing.

数年来一直有传言称，奈曼-马库斯试图在上海外滩搞块零售店面，开一家新的大型门店。多数分析师认为，对外国品牌、尤其是奢侈品品牌来说，开设实体店是至关重要的，这样做可以提升可信度，毕竟这仍是个讲究“眼见为实”的国家。

"Customers really need to be able to see and touch the product and feel the brand heritage in a physical environment," said Rein. "Luxury sales are booming online but people still tend to equate e-commerce with cheap," he said, adding "I don't think it's possible for a foreign brand to come in and sell at high prices just online".

“顾客们真的需要能够看到、摸到产品，在现实环境里感受品牌的底蕴。”雷小山说，“奢侈品的在线销量增长很快，但人们仍倾向于认为电子商务等同于廉价。我认为，若只靠网上销售，外国品牌是不可能进入中国市场并卖出高价的。”

But the costs of physical retail space may force a rethink. According to the report by Data Driven Marketing Asia, the marketing consultancy, the cost of listing one new product "with an established supermarket chain can be as high as $27,000".

但实体零售店的成本可能会迫使外国品牌重新做出考虑。营销咨询公司数达企业管理咨询（Data Driven Marketing Asia，简称DDMA）发布的报告显示，一种新产品在“成熟连锁超市”上架的成本或“高达2.7万美元”。

This adds to steep rises in labour, rental, logistics and marketing costs. Distribution costs increased 200 per cent over the past five years. Warehousing cost was up 23 per cent last year, while the cost for advertising on CCTV, the national broadcaster, has risen almost 50 per cent since 2007. And retail rents in China's largest cities are forecast to increase by an average 12 per cent this year, according CB Richard Ellis. The cost of employing more experienced white-collar staff in the more affluent parts of China has risen almost 60 per cent over the past three years.

此外，劳动力、场租、物流和营销成本也在急剧上涨。过去五年间，分销成本上升了200%。仓储成本去年提高了23%。而在中国中央电视台(CCTV)做广告的成本自2007年以来已提高了近50%。世邦魏理仕(CB Richard Ellis)称，预计中国最大型城市的零售店铺租金今年将平均上涨12%。过去三年里，在中国较富裕地区雇佣较有经验白领的成本提高了近60%。

Sam Mulligan, China Director at DDMA, said: "Over the past three years, these costs have started to become prohibitive. When we work with customers on a new market entry, once we get to formulating a retail strategy, the metrics fall out of the window."

DDMA中国总经理萨姆?穆里根(Sam Mulligan)说：“过去三年里，这些成本已开始变得令人望而却步了。我们在与客户讨论进入市场的新尝试时，一到制定零售战略这一步，就感慨各项成本高得离谱。”

As a result, companies are shying away from traditional retailers. Yihaodian, the online grocer in which Walmart recently raised its stake to 51 per cent, is trying to grab that business by offering a one-stop-shop service for new market entrants. It helps them register their brands, deals with import formalities, transport, logistics and advertising.

因此，企业开始避开传统零售商。在线零售商“一号店”正在努力抓住这个商业机遇，手段是为新进入市场的企业提供一站式店铺服务。一号店会帮助它们注册品牌、处理进口手续、运输、物流和广告等事宜。沃尔玛(Walmart)最近刚把在一号店的持股比例提高到51%。

Yihaodian has already seen a steep increase over the past six months in requests from foreign companies that want to bring new products into the Chinese market. The online retailer saw the number of products available in its store jump to 180,000 in the fourth quarter of 2011 from just 50,000 a year earlier.

想将自己的新产品引入中国市场的外国企业，纷纷请求进驻一号店。最近六个月，这类请求的数量大幅增长。2011年第四季度，这家在线零售商的网店中出售的产品已激增至18万种，而一年之前只有区区5万种。译者:王柯伦