Rise Of The Online Titans

(Beijing) – China's titans of online retailing have unsheathed their marketing swords for a war in cyberspace that industry watchers say will decide the future of everyday shopping habits for nearly a billion consumers.

Dozens of retail companies have staked out online niches since bargain-hunting, Internet-savvy Chinese consumers started migrating to e-commerce websites from traditional storefronts for certain purchases about a decade ago.