Where do you go shopping when the shops are closed? As countries around the world have locked down their economies to stop the spread of coronavirus, consumers have moved online. And even now that restrictions are lifted, it’s unlikely that they will all come back. How will retail look like in the future? One place to turn to for answers is China – the largest ecommerce market in the world by sales, almost four times bigger than the second largest market, the United States.  

Even before the pandemic, one estimate put the ecommerce penetration at over 36% of all retail sales, ahead of most other countries. What are the trends that have shaped China’s ecommerce and retail markets? How has the pandemic affected them? And what can we learn from these trends for the future of retail in Europe?

Join us for an in-depth discussion with Duncan Clark, chairman and founder of investment consultancy BDA China and author of Alibaba – The House That Jack Ma Built, and David Bosshart, CEO of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI). The conversation will be moderated by Nico Luchsinger, Co-Executive Director of Asia Society Switzerland.

About the Webcast

This webcast is co-hosted by the GDI. 

It is open to the public. You can register for the webcast to participate on the conference platform zoom. This offers you the possibility to comment and ask questions.

All our webcasts are recorded and published on our website. Webcasts – no matter where you are, you can stay connected!

This webcast is followed by an Executive Webcast with Duncan Clark under Chatham House Rules for Passport Members only. For further information, please contact Christelle Magnaye-Taillens (cmagnaye-taillens@asiasociety.org).

Duncan Clark is chairman of BDA China, a company he founded in 1994 after working as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in London and Hong Kong. BDA is an advisory firm serving investors in high growth companies in the technology and consumer sectors in China and other Asian markets.  BDA employs over 125 mainland Chinese professionals in Beijing. A senior China policy advisor to institutional investors, corporations and governments, Duncan is also a cofounder or early stage investor of a number of technology ventures including AppAnnie and Radish Fiction. He is an independent director of Bangkok Bank (China) in Shanghai, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society in New York and a member of the advisory board of the Pictet Digital thematic mutual fund, managed by Pictet Asset Management in Geneva. 

Dr. David Bosshart is CEO of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) for Economic and Social Studies. He holds a PhD in philosophy, is the author of numerous international publications and a worldwide sought-after speaker. His work focuses on the future of consumption, societal transformation, digitisation, management and culture, globalisation and political philosophy.