Pure (Digital) Gold
High-Margin Virtual Goods are Generating Very Real Profits
Chinese technology companies have a reputation for lacking innovation and original products. Yet upon closer inspection the industry is brimming with ideas. Despite the fact that Taobao resembles eBay, Baidu searches like Google, and RenRen looks very similar to Facebook, these businesses are not simply knockoffs. The âCopy-to-Chinaâ label grossly underestimates the power and ingenuity of Chinaâs internet ventures.
Identical Western replicas do not work (there is a reason why no large multinational internet business is a leader here). Instead, local companies are innovating to serve the Chinese market better, creating products and services that appeal to the needs of the consumer. This is also true of other Asian markets, and the region is now a global leader in virtual goods. So much so that the businesses in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are starting to take notice.
For the unbelievers, there are enticing examples of the rewards to be had. Internet heavyweight Tencent recorded revenues of USD 1 billion, at a profit margin above 40 per cent, by selling virtual goods across its multiple online platforms for RMB 10 (RMB 1 = approx. USD 0.14) at a time. Home to Chinaâs most popular instant messenger QQ, Q-Zone social network, and related game sites, it is one of a number of domestic internet sites making a very real profit from something âvirtualâ.