Whanganui businesses invited to workshop on e-commerce with China

Honey is one of the New Zealand products being sold online to Chinese consumers.

New Zealand products as diverse as honey and education are being sold online to consumers in China.

To assist local exporters and marketers do business with China, two organisations committed to building better trade connections with China are bringing an e-commerce workshop to Whanganui.

The New Zealand China Cross-border Electronic Commerce Foundation (NZCCC) and the North Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (CAPE), supported by the Whanganui Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will present a China e-commerce workshop on September 25.

"It's not just about selling products like lamb and honey online in China," NZCCC
president Chris Lipscombe said.

"Increasingly, Chinese consumers are buying tourism and education services online as well. And of course digital products from New Zealand can be delivered as well as sold online."

The workshop will cover how to engage with Chinese digital consumers online, explore options for presenting products and services to digital consumers, and identify partners and strategies to minimise business risk. The workshop will be followed by a research presentation "What 137 New Zealand businesses know about selling in China".

North Asia CAPE business director Anne French said the metropolitan centres often received this type of assistance but regional New Zealand missed out.

"We're delighted to be working with NZCCC and taking these workshops around the country.

"For this programme, we're making sure the regions don't miss out."

The Whanganui workshop will be at Nga Tai o Te Awa from 1pm to 5pm on Tuesday, September 25. The cost is $125 per person. Register at www.eventbrite.com. The research presentation is free and will be at 5.30pm to 7pm.