Online Chinese shopping mall launches with ATG tech

Art Technology Group Inc., a Cambridge company that makes e-commerce software, said today that the first online Chinese shopping mall to use its technology opened for business last month.

A company called Wooha has launched an online marketplace targeting Chinese consumers under 40; among items sold by various vendors are cosmetics, apparel, home furnishings, and consumer electronics, Art Technology Group said.

According to Art Technology Group, its e-commerce technology enables this online shopping mall to provide multi-vendor online catalogues and multiple payment options, and, similar to global online sites such as Priceline.com, the mall allows price negotiation that lets consumers put in bids for products.

Art Technology Group estimated that there are 123 million Internet users in China, but only 24 percent of that number currently shop online; as a result, the company thinks the potential for e-commerce in China is "significant."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)