联合国亚太经社会（UNESCAP）：蒙古国B2C电子商务市场格局

THELANDSCAPEOFB2CECOMMERCEMARKETPLACESIN

Country

Mongolia

CountryBrief|Mongolia

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Executivesummary

Mongoliashowsasignificantinternetpenetrationrate(98%)andamoderateproportionofitspopulationpurchasesgoodsonline(42%).Inaddition,thedensityofB2Cmarketplacesisrelativelyhighwith66B2Cmarketplacesforapopulationof3.4million(capturing0.17%ofthetotaltrafficintheregionstudied).

Overtheperiod2019-2022,trafficonthe66B2Cmarketplacesfellsignificantlyfrom54to37.8millionvisits.Amongthem,onlineshoppingmallsaccountforthelargestproportionofmarketplaces(66.7%)butclassifiedsitescapturemostofthetraffic(66.2%).

Thee-commercemarketisdominatedbyinternationalcompanies(72.5%),includingfirstandforemosttheUnitedStates(47%).Ofthetotal66B2Cmarketplaces,acommendableproportionareheldbydomesticcompanies(27.5%)andChinaisthirdholding9%oftheoperatingcompanies.

Thee-commercemarketishighlyconcentratedwiththeTop10onlinemarketplacescapturing91.3%oftotaltraffic.ThisTop10islargelydominatedbyonlineshoppingmalls,7intotal,thoughtheleader(Unegui.mn)isaclassifiedsiteheldbyadomesticcompany.MongoliancompaniesaccountforhalfoftheTop10,followedbytheUnitedStates(3).

RegardingtheeaseofsellingontheseB2Cmarketplaces,71%ofthemallowforeignsellerstooperateand65%offeropenregistrationtoonlinesellers.Asignificantproportionofthesemarketplacesarefullytransactional(61%)but,asacorollary,59%requiretradingfeestobeabletosellonline.

Mongoliahasabalancedproportionofgeneric(56%)andspecializedB2Cmarketplaces(44%).Amongthe29specializedmarketplaces,31%specializeinfashion,accessories,andshoes(capturingonly26%ofthetraffic).However,thetrafficdynamicsalsoshowthatconsumers’preferencesleantowardsbuyingautomotiveparts(capturing54%ofthetraffic).

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Acknowledgements

ThelandscapeofB2Ce-commercemarketplacesinMongoliawaspreparedbyMatthieuLevasseur,NikitaShahu,JinLee,ShuangningCao,andNesterJunAlcularundertheguidanceofSilvèreDernouhandtheoverallsupervisionofYannDuval,allfromtheTrade,Investment,andInnovationDivision(TIID)ofESCAP(EconomicandSocialCommissionforAsiaandthePacific).

Thecountrybriefisbasedondatacollectedbetween2019and2022byJesseWeltevreden,ProfessorofDigitalCommerceattheCentreforMarketInsightsofAmsterdamUniversityofAppliedSciences.CommentsandsuggestionsprovidedbyWitadaAnukoonwattakaandTengfeiWanghelpedinfurtherimprovingthecountrybrief.RenéZonneveldprovidedvaluableassistanceinshapingthecountrybrieftemplatelayoutandcoordinatingtheinternsteam.ThelayoutwasdesignedbyAromSanguanyuang,withhelpfromNatnichaSutthivanafortheprojectcommunication.

PreparationofthereportwasfundedbytheForumofEastAsia–LatinAmericaCooperation(FEALAC)aspartoftheprojectentitled:“SupportthestrengtheningofpoliciestomonitorandpromotetheparticipationofMSMEsincross-bordergoodsandservicese-commerceforaninclusiveandsustainablepandemicresponseandrecoveryinEastAsiaandLatinAmerica”.ThecountrybriefhasalsobenefitedfromthesupportoftheGovernmentofFrance.

2THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

1.Countryoverview

66

B2C

marketplaces

98%

internetpenetration

11

visits

percapita

Ofthecountriesstudied,Mongoliarangesamongthehighestinternetpenetrationrates(98%)in20221.Inaddition,the42%levelofengagementofthepopulationinonlinepurchasingstandsexactlyintheregionalaverage(42%aswell)2.

42%

purchasedgoodsonline

MongoliahasaratherhighdensityofB2Conlinemarketplaces,with66e-commercewebsitesforapopulationof3.4million3.Andeventhoughthenumberofannualvisitspercapitaisstilllow4,thenumberofMongoliansshoppingonlinehasincreased(multipliedby6between2021and2022)5.

EachB2Cmarketplaceisheldbyacompanyregisteredinaspecificcountry.Thesecompaniesaredistributedbycountryofregistrationinfigure1below.Thisfigureshowsthatthee-commercemarketinMongoliaislargelydominatedbyinternationalcompanies(72.5%)including,firstandforemost,theUnitedStates(47%).Onlyaquarterofmarketplacesareownedbynationalcompanies,i.e.atotalof18e-commercewebsitesamongthe66B2Cmarketplacesidentified.AsiaregionisalsorepresentedthroughChina(9%)andJapan(3%),andunexpectedly,Spainispresentwith3%ofthemarketplaces.

Figure1.Locationofcompaniesholdingthemarketplaces

India1.5%

Mauritius1.5%Denmark1.5%

Germany1.5%

UnitedArabEmirates1.5%

UnitedKingdom1.5%

Canada1.5%

Japan3%

UnitedStates47%

Spain3%

China9%

Mongolia27.5%

3THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

RepublicofKoreaIndonesiaVietNam

ThailandPhilippines MalaysiaSingapore

Mongolia

Cambodia

BruneiDarussalamLaoP.D.R.

CountryBrief|Mongolia

2.Marketplacetraffic

Althoughasignificantinternetpenetrationof98%,Mongolia’sshareofmarketplacetrafficamongtheelevencountriessurveyedstandsonlyat0.17%(figure2).Thislowlevelcannotonlybeattributedtothelimitedpopulationbutalsotoseveralotherfactors,includingrestrictedinternetaccess,ageinginfrastructure,limitedcross-borderpaymentoptions,ashortageofICTskills,andalegalframeworkthatdoesnotfullyalignwithinternationalstandards6.

Inaddition,thecountryhasonlytwotypesofmarketplaces:onlineshoppingmalls(66.7%)andclassifiedsites(33.3%),highlightingtheabsenceofdeals/couponssites,auctionsites,orpricecomparisonsites.Butalthoughthereisalowerproportionofclassifiedsites,theyaccountformostofthetraffic(66.2%)inMongolia,unlikeinmostothercountriesinthestudyarea(figure3).ThisdistributionunderlinesthatMongolia’se-commercesectorisstillinitsearlydevelopmentalstages.

Figure2.Distributionofmarketplacestraffic,among

thecountriesstudied(2022)

Figure3.Typesofmarketplaceinnumberand

traffic(2022)

87.56.1%3.8%

0.17%0.14%0.03%0.02%

11.2%.7%

%

27.

35.1%

2%

0%10%20%30%40%

100%90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%

33.8%

66.7%

66.2%

33.3%

Numberofmarketplaces

Onlineshoppingmall

Totaltraffic(visits)

Classifiedsite

Figure4.Traffictrendsbymarketplace

presence

Millions

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

25.4%

27.5%

30.2%

24.1%

746%

.

72.5%

75.9%

69.8%

2019202020212022GlobalpresenceNationalpresence

InMongolia,theoveralltrafficone-commercemarketplacesfellsignificantlyovertheperiodstudiedasseeninfigure4,especiallybetween2019and2020(-13%).Thisdropmaybepartlyattributedtothelossofconsumerconfidenceintheireconomicenvironment,whichhasbecomeunstableduetotheCOVID-19pandemic.However,itmightalsobeattributedtothelargeproportionofe-commercetrafficcapturedbyclassifiedsites(66.2%)thatrequirephysicalcontactduringthetransaction.Asaresultofstringentmeasuresimposedbythegovernmentand/orthefearofbuyersandsellersduetoCOVID-19,thesetransactionshavebeensignificantlylimited.

Moreover,thedecreasehasimpactedbothmarketplaceswithanationalpresenceandaglobalpresence.Thetrafficonmarketplaceswithnationalpresencedroppedfrom40.3millionvisitsin2019to28.7millionvisitsin2022whileinmarketplaceswithglobalpresence,itfellfrom13.7millionvisitsin2019to9.1millionvisitsin2022.Butoverall,theproportionoftrafficcapturedbyeachtypeofmarketplaceremainedunchangedovertheperiodstudied.

4THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

3.Marketplacekeyplayers

Mongoliaisahighlyconcentratede-commercemarketwiththeTop10leadingwebsitescapturing91.3%ofthetotaltraffic,outofwhich60.9%comesfromthemostpopular:Unegui.mn(figure5).Thismarketplaceisane-commercewebsitewithonlyanationalpresenceandisheldbyaMongoliancompany.NotonlydoesthismarketplacedominatetheMongolianmarket,butUnegui.mnalsooperatesasaclassifiedsite,theonlyoneofthistypewithsuchanimportanttrafficinthewholeareastudied.Thesecondmostpopulare-commercewebsiteisA,fromtheUnitedStates,with11.3%ofthetraffic.

Althoughtheyaccountfor27.5%ofthetotalnumberofmarketplaces,fiveMongolianmarketplacesrankinthisTop10for70.7%ofthee-commercetraffic.Surprisingly,onlythreemarketplacesareheldbycompaniesintheUnitedStates(15.3%ofe-commercetraffic)althoughmarketplacesfromthiscountryrepresent47%ofthetotal(figure1).Finally,apartfromthetop-rankingclassifiedsiteUnegui.mn,therearetwootherclassifiedsiteswhenallothermarketplacesareonlineshoppingmalls.

Figure5.Top10mostpopularmarketplacesinMongolia,in2022.

Unegui.mnAShoppy.mn

Taobao

eBayAliExpressHiBox.mn

Etsy

Zarmedee.mn

Myzar

60.9%

11.3%

6.0%

3.4%2.7%1.8%1.3%

1.3%1.3%1.2%

GlobalpresenceNationalpresence

Marketplacetrafficinmillionsofvisitsandin%share

ofthetotaltraffic.

Eachflagrepresentsthecountryofthecompanyholding

themarketplace.

OnlineshoppingmallsClassifiedsites

0510152025[inmillionsofvisits]

Thisrankingofthefastest-growingmarketplacesconfirmsthestrongpresenceofcompaniesbasedintheUnitedStates,with6globalmarketplaces.Twodomesticmarket-placesalsofeatureintheranking,includingShoppy.mn,whichisalsoin3rdplaceinthe10mostpopularmarketplaces.ButthetoptwoplacesinthisrankingareheldbyaChinesemarketplaceinfirstplace,whilethesecondisMauritian.Finally,thevastmajorityoffast-growingmarketplacesareonlineshoppingmalls–nineoutoften.

Table1.Top10fastest-growingmarketplacesinMongolia

MarketplaceName

Typeofmarketplace

GeographicalScope

%change2021-2022

Vmall

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+487%

E

Classifiedsite

Global

+444%

GOAT

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+381%

GRAILED

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+166%

iHerb

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+159%

SaatchiArt

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+137%

1stDibs

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+93%

UBShop

Onlineshoppingmall

National

+69%

Shoppy.mn

Onlineshoppingmall

National

+45%

FlightClub

Onlineshoppingmall

Global

+45%

5THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

4.Easeofsellingonmarketplaces

Theeasewithwhichsellerscanoperateandselltheirproductsonmarketplacesisparticularlysignificantinshapingthecountry’se-commercelandscape.Inthiscontext,thissectionanalysesthemainfactorsforassessingtheeaseofsellingonmarketplaces,providingabetterunderstandingoftheenvironmentandthechallengesfacedbysellers.Thesefactorsinclude1)theopennessofmarketplacestoforeignsellers2)thetypeofregistration,3)theimpositionoftradingfeesand4)thetypeoftransactionalmarketplaces.

1)MarketplacesopentoforeignsellersFigure6.Marketplacesopentoforeignsellers

InMongolia,foreignsellersareallowedtocarry100%

outbusinesson71%ofallB2Cmarketplaces,

whichexceedsbyfartheaverageacceptance90%

rateinthecountriesstudied(52%).Thisis80%

potentiallyaresultofthestrongpresenceof

foreign-ownedmarketplaces(72.5%asseen70%

aboveinfigure1),whicharemorelikelytobe60%

opentoforeignsellers.

50%

Infact,onlineshoppingmalls,themost40%

commontypeofmarketplace(66.7%),adopta

highlyglobalizedapproach(89%areopento30%

foreignsellers).Inturn,onlineshoppingmall20%

websitesinMongoliaareespeciallyopen

comparedtoonlineshoppingmallwebsites10%

activeintheotherselectedcountries.In0%

2%5%

9%

59%

89%

36%

contrast,classifiedsites,whichaccountforOnlineClassifiedsites

33.3%ofallB2CmarketplacesinMongolia,areshoppingmalls

openedtoforeignsellersinonly36%oftheOpenRestrictedUnclear

cases.

Figure7.Onlineregistrationtypes2)Onlineregistrationtypes

5%

18%

100%InMongolia,65%oftheB2Cmarketplaces

9%

90%allowopenregistration,suchthatsellerscan

openanaccountandstarttradingdirectly.

32%

80%Meanwhile,27%undertakeaverification

70%procedurebeforeonboardingsellers(the

60%registrationprocessisunclearfor8%ofthe

marketplaces).

50%

77%

40%Indeed,77%ofclassifiedwebsiteshavean

59%

30%openregistrationwhileonly18%require

verification,suchasmakingsureadvertisements

20%followcommunityguidelines.Followingclosely,

10%asignificantportionofonlineshoppingmalls

0%(59%)offeropenregistration,while32%

ClassifiedsitesOnlineshoppingmallsundertakeaverificationprocessforprospective

OpenregistrationVerifiedregistrationUnclearsellers.

6THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

3)Tradingfeespolicytosellonline

InMongolia,59%ofB2Cmarketplacesalwaysimposeatradingfee,while15%eitherofferbothfreeandfee-basedsellingoptionsandanadditional15%donotchargeanyfee(for11%ofallthemarketplaces,itremainsuncleariftheychargetradingfees).Alargeshareofonlineshoppingmalls(84%)chargefees,generallyassalescommissions,while2%alsoprovideafreesellingoptionand5%donotlevyanyfees(for9%ofthem,itremainsuncleariftheychargetradingfees).Ontheotherhand,classifiedsitesaremorediversewhere41%provideoptionalpromotionalservicestosellersforafee.Another36%ofclassifiedsitesdonotchargeanyfeeatallwhile9%systematicallylevytradingfeesonsellerstobenefit,inreturn,fromfeaturestogrowtheirbusinessonthistypeofmarketplace(unclearfor14%).

Figure8.Tradingfeespolicytosellonline

5%

36%

84%

41%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

9%

14%

2%

9%

Classifiedsites

Online

shoppingmalls

TradingfeesmandatoryTradingfeesbutalsofreeoptionNotradingfeesUnclear

4)Typesoftransactionalmarketplaces

InMongolia,61%ofallthemarketplacesarefullytransactional,providingintegratedpaymentoptions.Infact,electronicpaymentsarewidelyused,withe-walletsandQRcodepaymentsystemsgainingpopularity7.Meanwhile,38%ofthemarketplacesdonotfacilitatetransactionsand1%aresemi-transactionalprovidingintegratedpaymentoptionsonlyforcertainproducts.Infact,alargeproportionofonlineshoppingmalls(91%)arefullytransactional,providingaseamlessshoppingexperienceforconsumers.Fromtheseller’sperspective,integratedpaymentsystemsalloweffectivemanagementandsecurityoftransactions.Incontrast,classifiedsitesarefullynon-transactionalastheyrequiredirectpaymentsbetweenbuyersandsellers.

Figure9.Typesoftransactionalmarketplaces

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

2%

7%

91%

100%

OnlineshoppingmallsClassifiedsites

FullytransactionalSemi-transactionalNon-transactional

7THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

5.Productrangeandcharacteristics

InMongolia,56%ofthe66B2Cmarketplacesarequalifiedasgeneric,meaningtheysellawidevarietyofgoodswhile44%arespecialized,indicatingtheyfacilitatethetradeofoneoralimitednumberofproducts(figure10).Overall,the22classifiedsitesarepredominantlygeneric(77%)whilethe44onlineshoppingmallsaresplitmoreorlessequallybetweengenericandspecializedmarketplaces.

Classifiedsites

Onlineshoppingmalls

Figure10.Productrangebymarketplaces

77%

23%

45%

55%

0%20%40%60%80%100%

GenericmarketplacesSpecializedmarketplaces

Amongthe29specializedmarketplacesoperatinginMongolia,31%specializeinfashion,accessories,andshoes(figure11).Thisisindicativeofaconsumerbasewithapronouncedinterestinlifestyleproducts,especiallythefashionmarketwhichisprojectedtoincreaseby12.24%eachyear,reachingUS$54.52millionby20288.Followingthis,twoothersectorsarealsowellrepresented:automotiveparts(17%)andbooksandhobbies(17%).Theautomotivesector,andmoreparticularlythemotorcyclesmarket,isprojectedtoincreaseby6.75%eachyear,reachingUS$13.39billionby20279.Inlinewiththeseprojections,trafficdatarevealsaconsumerpreferenceforautomotivepartsandfashion/shoes.Indeed,despitethenumberofmarketplacessellingautomotivepartsandfashion/shoesaccountsfor48%,they,however,captureasignificantshareofthetotaltraffic(80%).Meanwhile,eventhoughmarketplacessellingbooksandhobbiesaccountfor17%,theyonlycapture4%ofthetotaltraffic.Finally,marketplacessellingElectronic/ITandapplianceswhichaccountforonly7%,capture11%ofthetotaltraffic.

Shareofonlinemarketplaces

1%

Shareoftraffic

Figure11.Product-specificmarketplaces,bynumberandtraffic(2022)

31%

17%

17%

7%7%

7%7%4%3.5%

2%

26%

54%

4%11%2%

0%20%

Fashion,accessories,andShoesBeauty,HealthandPersonalcareMusicandsport

40%60%

Cars/Motorcycles/MotorpartsElectronics/ITandAppliancesGifts

80%100%

BooksandhobbiesHome&Living

ArtandCollectibles

8THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

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Sources

[1]Statista.(2023).InternetpenetrationrateinMongoliafrom2011to2021

(Source)

.

[2]Statista.(2023).MARKETINSIGHTS:DIGITAL

(Source)

.

[3]Basedonauthors’calculations:Thecurrentsampleofcountriesrangefrom155marketplacesto

275.5mpeople(1:1.8millionpeople)inIndonesiato65marketplacesto0.6mpeople(1:6154people)inBruneiDarussalam.Therangegoesfromlowdensitytohighdensity.PopulationdataretrievedfromWorldBankWDIinNovember2023.

[4]Basedonauthors’calculations:Annualvisitspercapita=Totaltrafficpercountryin2002/Populationin2022.

[5]Statista.(2023).MARKETINSIGHTS:DIGITAL

(Source)

.

[6]UnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment(2023).eTradeReadinessAssessment.UnitedNations

(Source)

.

[7]Ibid.

[8]Statista.(2023).Fashion–Mongolia.StatistaMarketInsights

(Source)

.

[9]Statista.(2023).Motorcycles–Mongolia.StatistaMarketInsights

(Source)

.

9THELANDSCAPEOFB2CE-COMMERCEMARKETPLACESINMONGOLIA

CountryBrief|Mongolia

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Projectbackground,methodologyanddefinitions

ProjectBackground–TheCOVID-19pandemichassignificantlyimpactedmanyeconomies,alteringbusinessmodels,especiallyformicro,small,andmedium-sizedenterprises(MSMEs),andconsumerbehavior.Despitethis,manyMSMEsseepotentialine-commerceanddigitalplatformsforcross-bordertradetoaidtheirrecoveryandaccesstonewmarkets.However,signific