News that Ikea is rolling out an online shopping platform in China – its first in the Asia-Pacific region – could be a sign that Western retailers² are at last reacting to rising costs and shifts in consumer shopping behaviour. 宜家(Ikea)即将在中国推出在线购物平台，这将是其在亚太地区的首个电子商务平台。这一消息可能表明，西方零售商终于要对中国市场上经营成本上升、消费者购物行为发生转变做出反应。 But what has taken them so long? 但它们为何花了这么长时间才有所行动？Despite operating online models successfully in the UK and other parts of Northern Europe, it has taken Ikea seven years to get to a similar point in China. 尽管在英国和其他北欧国家成功运营着在线购物平台，但宜家花了7年时间才在中国推出电商平台。

With stores in major cities including Shanghai and Beijing, Ikea has followed a similar strategy to many other Western retailers; investing in bricks and mortar³ outlets⁴ in China’s thriving tier 1 and 2 cities.

宜家在包括上海和北京在内的大城市开设了店铺，奉行与其他许多西方零售商类似的策略：在中国蓬勃发展的一二线城市投资建设实体门店。

However, consumer demand has been growing right across China and while rising costs remain an issue, Western retailers urgently need a strategy to develop this market potential.

然而，中国各地消费者需求都在持续增长，同时，尽管成本上涨依然是个问题，西方零售商亟需制定挖掘中国市场潜力的战略。

Online malls are probably the only, viable⁵ way for Western and Chinese retailers to reach consumers right across this vast continent – particularly bearing in mind that China has hundreds of tier 3 and more than 1,000 tier 4 cities.

西方和中国零售商要想接触这个庞大市场的消费者——尤其别忘了，中国有数百个三线城市和逾1000个四线城市——在线平台可能是唯一可行的途径。

There is also the problem of a lack of internationally-skilled management in these cities, due to a lack of exposure to international businesses.

由于没有国际企业入驻，这些城市也存在国际化管理人才匮乏的问题。

For Western retailers, there is the added challenge that China is just one part of their large, global network of territories and senior management teams are typically based elsewhere, so may not be aware of how quickly consumer shopping behaviour is changing.

对西方零售商来说，还有一个额外的挑战，中国只是它们庞大的全球业务版图的一部分，高级管理团队往往常驻其他地区，因此可能意识不到消费者购物行为是多么的日新月异。

Developing an independent strategy for expanding a business model in China is not easy for Western retailers, however.

然而，对西方零售商来说，为扩大中国市场业务模式而研究制定一套独立的战略并不容易。

Tesco and B&Q are among those that decided⁶ to withdraw from China just a few years after investing in rolling out stores.

有些零售商在中国投资建设门店几年后就决定退出这一市场，其中包括特易购(Tesco)和百安居(B&Q)。

Rising labour costs and increases in commercial rents are putting pressure on margins⁷ and while some Chinese retailers have addressed this by pursuing a 24-hour, micro-store strategy, this is difficult for Western retailers to replicate⁸.

劳动力成本上升和商业租金上涨令零售商利润率承压，一些中国零售商通过实施24小时微型店铺战略解决这一问题，但西方零售商复制该战略比较困难。

Walmart China’s decision to restructure its business and sell its e-commerce grocery site, YHD.com, to the country’s biggest online retailer¹, JD.com, in July 2016 could be interpreted as a further sign that Western retailers are struggling to keep pace with rapid market changes.

沃尔玛中国(Walmart China)在2016年7月决定重组业务并向中国最大的在线零售商京东(JD.com)出售其电商网站一号店(Yhd.com)，可能被解读为西方零售商很难跟上快速市场变化的进一步迹象。

Under Walmart’s ownership, YHD.com’s share of China’s online marketplace slipped from 1st to 6th position, according to official data, requiring significant investment to boost its performance.

官方数据显示，在隶属沃尔玛旗下的时候，一号店在中国在线市场的份额排名从第一降至第六，这需要巨额投资来提升其业绩。

This is the most likely reason for Walmart’s decision to dispose of the business.

这可能是沃尔玛决定处置该业务的最大原因。

Despite the inherent challenges, there is still an excellent opportunity for Western retailers in China.

尽管存在这些固有挑战，但西方零售商在中国市场仍存在绝佳的机遇。

Ikea’s decision to trial and roll-out an online mall is a bold move and demonstrates that the brand is serious about developing an independent strategy.

宜家试水推出电商平台的决定是一个大胆的举措，表明该品牌在制定独立战略方面是严肃的。

Depending on its success, others are likely to follow.

如果宜家取得成功，其他零售商可能会效仿。

Of course, there are a number of considerations for Western retailers planning to launch online malls in China.

当然，计划在中国推出在线平台的西方零售商也有许多考虑。

They would probably need to cooperate with Alibaba or Tencent, both of which have dominant⁹ positions and control China’s online payment market.

它们很可能需要与阿里巴巴或腾讯合作——阿里巴巴和腾讯在中国电商市场占据主导地位，并控制着中国在线支付市场。

They would also need to establish local distribution centres in each sub-area, close to the targeted tier 3 and 4 cities.

它们还需要在靠近三四线目标城市的子区域建立当地物流中心。

Offering low-cost or free delivery is also important in China as many local retailers already offer this.

提供低价或免费派送在中国也很重要，因为许多国内零售商已经提供了这种派送服务。

Therefore, establishing competitive agreements with delivery service providers in China is essential.

因此在中国与物流服务提供商缔结有竞争力的协议非常关键。

The business environment for Western retailers in China is changing very quickly and they must choose to accept dwindling¹⁰ profits or invest in online expansion.

西方零售商在中国市场的商业环境日新月异，它们必须选择接受利润日益下降的局面或者投资扩大在线业务。

Building on the popularity of its stores, Ikea is taking the plunge¹¹ and launching an online mall to attract consumers that have so far been out of reach.

鉴于其实体店铺受到欢迎，宜家决定冒险尝试推出在线平台，以吸引迄今接触不到的客户。

In this case, allowing time to develop a strong brand presence before making their move could be just the right strategy

在这个案例中，留出时间打造强大的品牌形象、之后才采取行动可能是正确的战略。