“丝路电商日”、“数贸非洲日”...全球数字贸易博览会将于9月25日至29日在杭州举行

This article breaks down key takeaways and public engagement opportunities at the third Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE):

1. Basic core information: This edition is China's only national-level, international professional exhibition focused on digital trade. It runs from September 25 to 29 at the Hangzhou Grand Convention and Exhibition Center, covering a total area of 150,000 square meters — an 88% increase from the previous edition. Over 1,000 enterprises have already confirmed participation, with a final expected total of more than 1,500. Professional purchasing delegations from over 50 countries and regions will attend, and the exhibition features 1 comprehensive exhibition area, 8 themed digital industry zones, plus a full schedule of thematic events including Silk Road E-commerce Day and Digital Trade Africa Day, alongside industry matching sessions.

2. Opportunities for the general public: The expo features immersive digital interactive experiences that leverage cutting-edge technologies including digital humans, artificial intelligence and naked-eye 3D to enhance visitor experiences. It also opens public digital check-in activities and public digital trade lectures, allowing general visitors to experience the latest achievements in digital trade up close and follow cutting-edge industry trends.

The third Global Digital Trade Expo offers multiple development opportunities for brands in the digital trade space. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Brand promotion and channel expansion opportunities: The 150,000-square-meter expo has attracted participation from 15 international organizations and professional purchasing delegations from over 50 countries and regions. It also features an upgraded "GDTE Online" platform that enables 365-day-a-year promotion and business matching, helping brands secure global purchasing orders and expand international distribution channels. The expo also supports brands in hosting new product launches, premieres and debut showcases, effectively boosting brands' industry influence.

2. Access to industry trends and policy support: The expo will release a global digital trade development report, a top 100 industry ranking and collaborative case studies. It also hosts industry matching sessions focused on high-growth sectors including digital-enabled green development, low-altitude economy and digital healthcare, helping brands grasp the latest industry and consumer trends. In addition, Hangzhou provides one-stop digital services for brands going global, paired with policy support for building a leading digital trade city, helping brands lower their cross-border operation costs.

The third Global Digital Trade Expo brings clear policy benefits and market opportunities for digital trade sellers. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Favorable policy and operating environment: To capture the spillover effects of the GDTE, Hangzhou has introduced China's first three-year action plan for building a leading digital trade city, released a development plan for the China Digital Trade Port, and implemented the country's first local legislation on digital trade, providing institutional support for digital trade development. It also offers one-stop digital rights and services for participating sellers, helping them reduce cross-border compliance and operating costs and access a more stable development environment.

2. Market and order opportunities: The expo hosts on-site matching sessions with professional purchasing delegations from over 50 countries and regions, and organizes thematic events including Silk Road E-commerce Day and Digital Trade Africa Day to help sellers connect with fast-growing emerging markets along the Belt and Road and in Africa. The upgraded GDTE Online platform allows sellers to post information and match with buyers year-round, breaking the 5-day limit of the offline exhibition and enabling sellers to access order resources and expand sales channels throughout the whole year.

The third Global Digital Trade Expo brings new business opportunities and transformation directions for factories engaged in digital trade-related activities. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Business matching opportunities: The expo gathers professional purchasing delegations from over 50 countries and regions, and the online GDTE Online platform enables year-round order matching, allowing factories to directly reach global purchasing demand and expand international sales channels. It hosts industry matching sessions focused on multiple high-growth sectors including low-altitude economy and digital healthcare, and launched the first-ever dedicated robot zone this year, meeting the exhibition and matching needs of manufacturing factories across different segments and connecting them with targeted business opportunities.

2. Insights for digital transformation: The expo showcases practical applications of cutting-edge technologies including digital humans, artificial intelligence and blockchain in trade, and releases a large number of innovative digital trade cooperation cases. This allows factories to understand global demand for digital and intelligent products, clarify the direction of their own digital upgrades and e-commerce export strategies. In addition, Hangzhou has introduced multiple digital trade support policies, making it easier for factories to launch digital transformation and cross-border projects with official policy backing.

The third Global Digital Trade Expo reveals the latest development trends in the digital trade industry and clarifies evolving client demand for service providers. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Industry development trends: Global digital trade is currently in a period of rapid growth. This year's GDTE has grown 88% in size from the previous edition, with final participating enterprises expected to exceed 1,500, an international participation rate of over 20%, and 15 participating international organizations. This demonstrates that the market space for digital trade is continuously expanding, and demand for related services is growing steadily.

2. Client pain points and business opportunities: The expo's agenda makes clear that participating enterprises need support to connect with global orders, run year-round online exhibition and trading, and build digital showcase scenarios. Overseas buyers require convenient cross-border payment services, and the broader market has demand for digital trade knowledge outreach. Service providers can develop targeted solutions including business matching, immersive scenario construction, cross-border payment and industry knowledge services. In addition, Hangzhou has introduced digital trade-related legislation and support policies to improve the local business environment, making it easier for service providers to establish operations and expand their business locally.

The third Global Digital Trade Expo reveals evolving market demand for digital trade platforms and outlines reference directions for platform innovation. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Core current market demand: Digital trade market participants need not only offline matching services during the exhibition period, but also year-round online exhibition, business matching and negotiation services. The traditional offline-only model that only operates for a few days can no longer meet market demand, so platforms need to expand their all-weather service capabilities.

2. Transferable innovation practices: This edition of the GDTE upgraded its GDTE Online platform with multiple new core functions, extending service coverage from a 5-day offline event to 365 days a year to create a "never-ending expo". This online-offline deep integration model is a valuable reference for all types of digital trade platforms. Meanwhile, the expo leverages technologies including digital humans, artificial intelligence and naked-eye 3D to create immersive interactive experiences that boost user satisfaction, an approach that platforms can also adopt to improve user experience.

3. Indications for future development: As the internationalization of digital trade continues to rise, platforms can expand their layout for international recruitment and business matching. Hangzhou's digital trade legislation and policies also provide compliance guarantees for platforms to establish and grow their operations locally.

The third Global Digital Trade Expo reveals the latest trends in digital trade industrial development and institutional building, providing rich research samples for relevant scholars. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. New trends in industrial development: China's national-level professional digital trade exhibition is expanding rapidly, with this edition recording an 88% increase in size from the previous session and an international participation rate expected to exceed 20%. The event has attracted a large number of international organizations and overseas purchasing participants, indicating that the international influence of China's digital trade sector is continuously growing. The exhibition model has also innovated: shifting from one-time offline events to integrated online-offline operation to deliver 365-day year-round service as a never-ending expo, representing a new innovative model for the exhibition industry to adapt to digital trade development.

2. New samples for institutional innovation: Hangzhou has introduced China's first local legislation on digital trade, launched the country's first three-year action plan for a leading digital trade city and released the first development plan for a digital trade port. It uses local legislation to guarantee the operation of the national-level digital trade exhibition, exploring an institutional path for local governments to promote digital trade development and providing a brand-new sample for research on digital trade institutional building.

3. New directions for industry ecosystem development: The expo plans to establish multiple specialized committees in different digital trade segments to explore industry innovation and ecosystem development, reflecting the emerging trend of industry ecosystem building in the digital trade space.