(Yicai Global) Nov. 22 -- US e-commerce giant Amazon will set up its front-end bonded warehouse for its Global Store in the Chinese port city of Ningbo next year, to better serve Chinese customers’ growing demand for imported products, The Paper reported.

The front-end bonded warehouse, which is a secure storeroom where imported goods are kept pending the clearing of customs, will reduce delivery times to Chinese shoppers by four to five days compared with direct mail from overseas, the report said, citing Li Yanchuan, head of Amazon Global Store China, which is the Seattle-based firm’s largest international shopping site.

Amazon is gearing up for big sales in China during the upcoming Black Friday on Nov. 25 when many vendors will offer special promotions and as people start their Christmas shopping. The e-marketplace is expected to offer an expanded variety of foreign product categories, such as pet food and wine, to Chinese customers.

The first half of the year was very challenging due to the outbreaks of Covid-19, Li said. But logistics and other aspects have improved since the third quarter, and there should be less of an impact during this week’s Black Friday and next year’s promotional events.

Sales at Amazon’s Global Store China jumped more than nine-fold last year from 2015.

China’s cross-border imports and exports have surged nearly 10-fold in the past five years, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The cumulative value of merchandise imports is expected to top USD22 million over the next decade.

Editor: Kim Taylor