Introduction
The success story of China's economy along with its social and cultural development is impossible to dissociate from the rise of digital. A mix of huge scale, fast growth and lack of pre-digital legacy behaviors have created a perfect storm. The twin force of skilled web entrepreneurs and eager consumers have turned China into a "digital first" country where cash is becoming optional, e-commerce is increasingly the default for any sort of purchase and social relationships are built in large part through chat apps. Consider for instance the following data points:
- China leads the e-commerce market in the world...