CRI听力:Christmas Boosts Online Shopping in China

Stores are filled with Christmas trinkets but there's fierce competition from elsewhere. For Beijing resident Zhang Wei, buying online is the best solution to Christmas rush.

"Before the holidays, I always spend more money online, because with the New Year and other holidays approaching, I need to prepare gifts for my family. Shopping for them online is the best option. You can compare products from different sellers and look for the best price."

Christmas isn't a traditional Chinese festival but shoppers here have happily adopted the traditions of goodwill and gifts.

"I will definitely celebrate Christmas, because I want to build memories for my child. To do that, I decorated our Christmas tree very early. I bought all the materials online."

In a recently released report, the Boston Consulting Group says it expects China to overtake the US as the world's biggest online marketplace. The report expects to see well over 300 million online shoppers in China by 2015, making the country's online retail market worth more than 2 trillion RMB or more than 300 billion USD a year, potentially knocking the US off the top spot.

China has long been a culture dominated by cash and with many people reluctant to enter credit card details online, transactions are often completed with cash paid on delivery.

But online is definitely on the up and up.

The biggest festive period in China is the Lunar New Year celebration, which for this season falls in late January. But Dong Lu says the Chinese appetite for celebration means that western traditions have been readily adopted - and that's good for business.

"In the past, people here didn't really know much about festivals like Christmas. But these days, young people look for reasons to have a party. Valentine's Day is another celebration that also isn't a traditional Chinese festival. These kinds of holidays are perfect for promotions on our web site."

With millions of Chinese celebrating Christmas, and with the Chinese New Year falling earlier than usual in 2012, the next few weeks will be busier than ever for online shopping.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.