Prisoners: learning how to deal with e-commerce - Shaun Rein

Shaun Rein

Prisoners have to learn how to deal with a changing society before they leave prison. In China, it is obvious they have to learn how to deal with e-commerce, says business analyst Shaun Rein in Inkstone news.

Inkstone news:

The news is a reminder of China’s hyper-connectivity, where most people have grown used to buying, selling and ordering everything and anything online. It’s a skill that inmates would need once they serve their time and transition to the outside world.

“If you don’t know how to shop online, you’re going to have a lot of problems once you depart prison,” said Shaun Rein, the founder of China Market Research Group in Shanghai. 

While digital shopping is complementary to bricks and mortar stores in the West, it’s quite the opposite in China: businesses prioritize digital growth over physical store expansion, Rein said. Over the last decade, Chinese businesses have expanded massively online.

In 2005, China accounted for 0.6% of global e-commerce activity. By 2017, it accounted for 42%. In the US, digital transactions had shrunk from 35% to 24% in the same 12-year time span, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.

More in Inkstone news.

Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

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