Ed Sander
Ed Sander is known as a specialist in digital technology in China. Ed is a research editor for Tech Buzz China, co-founder and speaker for ChinaTalk, and owner of ChinaTechTrip.
As a digital China tech analyst, independent writer, study trip leader, and speaker, Ed comments on developments in China.
Ed is recognized as an experienced and pragmatic keynote speaker. He highlights the latest digital and innovative developments in China with facts and enjoys engaging in discussions with his audience. In doing so, he not only paints an intriguing picture of trends in China but also of our changing times.
He lived in China for several years, where he worked as a marketing advisor for Chinese NGOs in the central city of Xi’an, and is married to a Chinese woman. He still spends three to four months a year in China for research, family visits, and the aforementioned study trips.
Ed has published hundreds of articles on digital technology in China and cultural differences between the West and China. He developed a series of highly regarded study and inspiration trips for entrepreneurs and professionals with ChinaTechTrip. As an expert in digital technology in China, he is regularly invited to radio and TV programs on stations like BNR, NPO, and RTL-Z. Ed is also frequently interviewed by national and international media about Chinese internet companies.
Before focusing on China, Ed worked for more than 20 years in database and online marketing for various multinationals in different sectors. He is also a former lecturer at the Beeckestijn Business School. He co-authored the award-winning book *Event Driven Marketing* and its international sequel *Follow That Customer!*
This knowledge, combined with his expertise on China, helps him translate Chinese developments to Western markets.
Pleasant cooperation, good preparation, and a very fluent speaker (English)
– Laurens Spiele, Director of e-Commerce Netherlands, Decathlon
Ed Sander’s lecture was excellent. Even for the well-informed technical audience, it was a content-rich and enjoyable presentation.
– Adrianos Kyrmos, Tweakers.nl
Examples of keynotes by Ed Sander:
Temu Demystified
In this lecture, Ed explains the rapid rise of the Chinese webshop Temu and debunks some persistent misconceptions about the platform. How can Temu deliver so cheaply? What business models are behind it? Is Temu profitable, and what are the future plans? Should European retailers be worried?
View the rave reviews of this keynote.
Instant Retail in China
While Europe and the US struggle to find the right business model for home delivery and ‘on-demand delivery,’ China has been experimenting with various concepts since 2014. Some supermarket chains already deliver more than 50% of their sales to homes. In this keynote, Ed Sander shares different business models that have been tested in China, explains whether and how they have been successful, and translates this into his views on Western initiatives such as rapid delivery services and ship-from-store. Don’t reinvent the wheel: learn from what worked and what didn’t in China.
Ed has the ability to explain rather complex business models in a simple way using examples, photos, videos, etc. Additionally, he is a pleasant speaker to listen to.
– Jack Neele, Robeco
Cross-border e-commerce from China
Now that the Chinese e-commerce market is becoming saturated and the Chinese government has asked internet companies to help manufacturers reach Western consumers, the number of cross-border e-commerce websites from China is exploding. Shein has disrupted the fast-fashion market, and companies like Alibaba, Bytedance, JD.com, and Pinduoduo have launched various initiatives worldwide. Ed Sander, who previously downplayed concerns about the threat from Chinese e-commerce sites, is now convinced that a new era has begun. What knowledge about new competitors can we distill from the initiatives of these companies, and what might the future look like when we consider the evolution of apps like TikTok in their home market?
The Evolution of E-commerce in China: Adaptability, Data, and Maximization of Customer Value
In the span of half a decade, China became the largest e-commerce market in the world. In this keynote, Ed Sander walks through various phases of the evolution of Chinese e-commerce and shows how it constantly evolves under changing customer needs, market developments, and fierce competition. Ed highlights the importance of data and ecosystems in the initiatives of Chinese e-commerce companies and shares forms of e-commerce such as live commerce, customer-to-manufacturer (C2M), and ‘new retail’ that originated in China and are now impacting the global market.
The Live Commerce Revolution
Live-streaming e-commerce, or ‘live commerce,’ developed in the second half of the last decade when companies like Alibaba realized they needed content to keep customers coming back to their e-commerce platforms. It has brought about huge changes in online shopping in China, with live-streaming hosts selling billions of dollars’ worth of products, even in a single day. What makes live commerce so successful in China? And why has it (yet?) to take off in the West, despite attempts by companies like Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube?
The Chinese Fintech Wild West: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In 2017, research showed that fintech adoption in China was the highest in the world. This was remarkable considering that just four years earlier, China still had an underdeveloped financial system. Ed Sander explains how internet companies turned the financial market upside down with online and mobile payments, wealth management, business and consumer financing, and insurance products. He also explains why and how the Chinese government intervened in the fintech sector and what happened to Jack Ma and the canceled IPO of his Ant Group.
We received a lot of positive feedback from the participants and can look back on a successful event. Your contribution was the cherry on top, just what I was hoping for!
– Raymond Custers, Manager Innovation & Business Development, Rabobank
Other topics Ed speaks about include internet censorship, China’s ‘tech rectification,’ social media, social commerce, Chinese cultural concepts and behavior, the economic rise of China, the social credit system, ethics and morality in China, consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M), ecosystems, mobile payments, the sharing economy, artificial intelligence China versus the US.
TEMU Demystified, Ed Sander at Score! 2024
The Evolution of e-Commerce in China (Conway Boardroom Session) 2023
Ed Sander on digital innovation in Chinese healthcare