journal of digital research & publishing - The Sydney eScholarship ...

1 P M J O U R N A L O F D I G I T A L R ESEARCH & P UBLISHING
For example, western focus on time­conscious life style, as a result, “heavy graphics with
long download times are perceived as a nuisance by consumers. Conversely, Asian prefers
screens with animated graphics, video, and audio”. Therefore, web interfaces should be
designed for different cultural audiences, and there must be some features on the front
page that allow the targeted audience to feel at home.
Comparing eBay China and TaoBao websites, Taobao’s website is picture­rich. Taobao
used numerous graphics to attract customers. Their front page has been organised into
categories with animated graphics, such as “Men”, “Women”, etc. They designed the website
according to customers’ likes and dislikes. Conversely, eBay’s website is text­rich. Even
though the style makes it look professional, but for a website targeted at young people,
friendliness should be considered.
Communication
With the development of the Internet, electronic communication has increasingly become
the central medium (Thompson, 2005, p. 315). Internet provides a new opportunity
for sellers and buyers to conduct the communication and creates a worldwide virtual
community beyond the traditional way of communication. Various mechanisms have been
proposed and implemented in online customer­to­customer (C2C) market.
Taobao used an online instant messenger called Aliwangwang, which is considered as
an effective and satisfying communication system. It provides instant communication
between buyers and sellers, and enables buyers to get enough product knowledge in a
short time and have chance to negotiate with sellers before making a deal. According to
Tongyu Sun (the CEO of TaoBao), “Chinese business men are used to building relations
with partners through meeting, chatting, or having dinner before making a deal. The
tradition is inherent. ” (Chen, et al., 2007). Conversely, there was no instant messenger for
direct communication between two parties in eBay china before 2006 (Chen, et al., 2007).
In addition, TaoBao provides online community for users, which people can use it to
exchange shopping information and other emotional experiences. Although eBay also
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channels in eBay, while Taobao has 76 big channels, which include 10­20 small channels in
each of that. There are altogether 3,540 postings in “Buyers” channel of eBay, while there
are 162,300 postings in “Buyers” channel of Taobao until 7 June 2008 (Taobao and eBay,
2008). Moreover, Taobao has a much stronger community with numerous loyal customers.
Users on TaoBao shared their trading experiences, personal feelings, and comments on
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