In 2011 the number of Chinese online buyers has reached 194 million, with the number of group shoppers increasing by 245 percent y-o-y. During the period under review, group purchasing registered 65 million users in 2011.

These are the findings of a study released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

According to the research, in 2011 online shopping activities have grown by almost 21 percent as compared to 2010. E-commerce has also witnessed an increase in areas such as online payment, e-banking, online tour reservation and payments made via mobile devices.

The study has also indicated that the number of online purchases and e-banking users have gone up by 22 percent and 19 percent respectively.

According to the source, the number of people who have browsed the internet via mobile devices reached 356 million, representing over 69 percent of all Chinese internet users. The CNNIC study also forecasts an increase in using smartphones. The research has also found that the number of internet users in China reached 505 million as of November 2011, up from 485 million at the end of June 2011