Definition of digital trade

Digital trade refers to the trade activities carried out through information networks, including e-commerce services, e-commerce platforms, digital commerce, cross-border electronic commerce and cross-border logistics.

Digital trade breaks geographical restrictions, provides consumers with richer and more convenient goods and services, and also provides a broader development space for small and medium-sized enterprises. The development of digital trade is inseparable from the progress of Internet technology and the development of e-commerce, and also requires the joint efforts of the government, enterprises and all sectors of society.

Compared with traditional trade, digital trade has the following characteristics:

1. Digitization: Digital trade takes the information network as the carrier to realize the digitalization of trade, including the digitalization of goods and services.

2. Globalization: Digital trade has broken geographical restrictions and made global trade activities more convenient and efficient.

3. Interaction: Digital trade realizes real-time interaction between consumers and producers, making it easier for consumers to obtain information about goods and services, and producers can more accurately understand market demand.

4. Customization: Digital trade provides consumers with more personalized choices, and consumers can customize goods and services according to their own needs, which also promotes the transformation of production methods to some extent.

The role of digital trade

First, digital trade improves the efficiency of global trade. The application of digital technologies such as e-commerce, digital logistics and online payment has greatly shortened the distance between production and consumption and reduced the cost and time of transaction. At the same time, digital trade also makes global trade more flexible, consumers can buy global products anytime and anywhere, and enterprises can respond to consumers' needs more quickly.

Secondly, digital trade has promoted the digital transformation of global supply chain. Through big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and other technologies, enterprises can grasp the supply chain information in real time, optimize production, inventory, logistics and other links, and improve the efficiency and security of the supply chain. This digital transformation not only helps enterprises to reduce costs, but also helps to improve the transparency and predictability of the entire supply chain.

Third, digital trade helps to promote economic globalization. The development of digital trade has broken the geographical restrictions and made the factors of production flow freely around the world. This will not only help to improve the overall efficiency of the global economy, but also help to increase the participation of developing countries and achieve the same economic growth.

Fourth, digital trade provides new development opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises. In traditional trade, small and medium-sized enterprises are often difficult to compete with large enterprises because of their small scale and limited resources. Digital trade provides a new stage for small and medium-sized enterprises, which can directly connect consumers through the Internet, reduce marketing costs and improve transaction efficiency. This not only contributes to the survival and development of small and medium-sized enterprises, but also helps to promote market competition and improve the vitality of the whole market.

Finally, digital trade also helps to promote innovation and creativity. The development of digital trade needs constant innovation and creation, which in turn stimulates the research and development of new technologies and new products. At the same time, digital trade has also spawned a large number of new business models and industrial chains, providing new impetus for economic development.