China's e-commerce boom brings shopping revolution (4)

But the opening-up of the online marketplace also brings risks. Nearly one-third of China's online shoppers fell victim to fraudulent websites during November promotions, costing them 4.7 billion U.S. dollars, according to the China Electronic Commerce Association.

Its data also showed that 8,160 complaints about online vendors were submitted in November, with 54.3 percent of them about false consignments, promotional fraud and slow delivery.

"Currently, most online shops compete on the basis of low price instead of focusing more on excellent service and building credible brands. This will harm the sustainable development of China's e-commerce," points out Cao Lei, director of the China Electronic Commerce Research Center.

"A legal system is needed to rein in fraudulent websites while e-commerce companies also need to discipline themselves to build up loyal customers," he adds.