On February 18, the research team of the Institute of Finance and Economics Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Platform Economic Center of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Market Society jointly released the "Research Report on the Development of Digital E-commerce Industry Belt" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). The report pointed out that digital and intelligent technologies represented by live e-commerce are deeply integrated with offline physical industrial belts, and the upgrading and transformation of traditional industrial belts are of great value to promoting high-quality development of the regional economy and deepening supply-side structural reform.

Li Yongjian, a researcher in the financial strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and vice president of the China Market Society, said that the digital transformation of the e-commerce industry belt can significantly increase employment and income, and live e-commerce has a stronger role in increasing rural residents' income than urban residents, providing ideas and inspiration for rural revitalization.

report shows that the digital and intelligent e-commerce industry belt is based on data elements and digital and intelligent technology empowerment. Through the development of digital and intelligent technology, it can improve the level of digital and intelligent enterprises from R&D, design, production to marketing and service, reduce the market transaction costs of enterprises, integrate and optimize the allocation of various resources in the region, improve the speed of enterprises' response to the market, and improve the production and operation efficiency and benefits of enterprises, forming a new industrial cluster with a complete industrial ecology, deep integration of online and offline, and mutual promotion.

The report pointed out that as a new industrial cluster form that deeply integrates the digital economy and the real economy, the digital and intelligent e-commerce industry belt is becoming a key driving force for promoting the transformation of the regional economic structure. In this process, the live e-commerce model has been deeply integrated with the offline physical industrial belt, promoting the digital transformation of the industry, strengthening regional collaboration and interaction, and promoting the high-end rise of the industrial value chain, becoming an important booster for the development of the digital and intelligent e-commerce industrial belt. Through content innovation, product innovation, model innovation and market innovation, the digital and intelligent e-commerce industry belt has become an important foundation for accelerating the formation of new quality productivity and new engines.

Fujian Xianyou Wooden Composition and Playing Industry Belt merchants shared at the press conference

With the support of e-commerce platforms, many places have formed a number of industrial clusters with small and medium-sized enterprises as the main body. The stronger the concentration of small and medium-sized enterprises, the stronger their operating vitality, and drive the regional economy more active. The digital and intelligent e-commerce industry belt has formed a significant external scale effect, enhancing industrial vitality.

Huang Haisheng, a representative of the industrial belt enterprise and chairman of Fujian Tiancai Group Industrial Co., Ltd., said that through live e-commerce, the Xianyou Wooden Writing and Playing Industry Belt embarked on a counterattack from "Sunshine Workshop" to "Cloud Products". The total sales of Douyin stores in the industry belt exceeded 5 billion yuan in 2024, driving more than 70,000 jobs.

The development of digital and intelligent e-commerce industry belt not only changes the industrial structure, but also has a profound impact on employment and income.

report pointed out that the digital transformation of the e-commerce industry belt can significantly increase employment and income. Live e-commerce has driven the digital development of the industrial belt, created a large number of employment opportunities, and gave birth to new occupations such as live streaming anchors and live streaming operations. At the same time, it has also driven the growth of employment in related industries such as logistics and warehousing. According to the report statistics, for every 1% increase in live broadcast sessions, the total number of employment related to live e-commerce increased by 0.29%.

Li Yongjian, a researcher at the financial strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, shared at the press conference

At the same time, the digital transformation of the e-commerce industry belt effectively promotes farmers' income growth, and by reducing transaction costs and broadening sales channels, the market value of agricultural products has been increased and farmers' income has been increased. According to the report statistics, from 2020 to 2022, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in the industrial belt increased by 4.1 percentage points due to live e-commerce. The report emphasizes that the digital transformation of the e-commerce industry belt is more inclusive and has a stronger effect on improving the income of rural residents than urban residents.

It is reported that in 2024, 170 million products from the national industrial belt areas sold 15.4 billion orders on Douyin e-commerce, an increase of 39% year-on-year. Driven by the "Industry Growth Plan" of Douyin e-commerce, the Douyin order volume in 332 industrial belts exceeded 10 million orders, and the Douyin sales in 830 industrial belts exceeded 100 million yuan. Digital technologies such as live broadcasts have brought about business growth to small and medium-sized enterprises in the industrial belt. More than 2 million small and medium-sized enterprises have driven business growth through live broadcasts, and nearly 190,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have driven sales of more than one million yuan with the help of live broadcasts.

Southern+Reporter Ye Dan