TRT International Launches TCM Cross-border E-commerce Platform TRTMED.COM to Globalize Traditional Chinese Medicine
On December 16, 2016, Beijing Tongrentang, a century-old time-honored brand, achieved a new “Internet+” layout by transitioning from the traditional model of overseas expansion in the pharmaceutical industry. Following the 2015 launch of its health-focused cross-border e-commerce platform, Tianrantao, by Tongrentang International—which facilitated the “introduction” of global natural health products—Tongrentang International’s Traditional Chinese MedicineGoing GlobalThe platform is officially launched.
Following the launch of Tongrentang International, high-quality Chinese traditional medicine and botanical health products will be made available to global consumers through a cross-border e-commerce model.
Amidst emerging global trends in healthcare, there is a growing recognition that modern medical technology alone is insufficient to address increasingly complex disease challenges. Shifts in healthcare models, disease prevention strategies, and health philosophies are driving a resurgence of interest in traditional and natural therapies, with heightened emphasis on “disease prevention.” The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concept of “treating potential diseases before they manifest” is exerting an ever-growing influence worldwide.
The most prominent achievement of traditional Chinese medicine’s global expansion is artemisinin, which saves tens of thousands of lives each year and was hailed by Western media in 2015 as “the greatest medical breakthrough of the second half of the 20th century.”
Since the World Health Organization incorporated traditional medicines, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), into the International Classification of Diseases in 2010, more than 100 countries have established regulatory frameworks for herbal medicines or included them in their health insurance systems. Statistics indicate that approximately 5% of the population in Europe, North America, and Australia tries TCM therapies; in Australia alone, over 2 million patient visits are made to TCM practitioners annually.
Since 1993,Tongrentang has been committed to the overseas development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). With over two decades of international expansion, Tongrentang has established 130 retail outlets, TCM clinics, and wellness centers across 26 countries and regions outside mainland China, accumulating more than 30 million patient visits.
In the new era of the internet, global demand for health management continues to rise. The development of mobile internet technology, along with the application of remote consultations and smart wearable devices in healthcare, has witnessed an unprecedented surge. Relying solely on offline development models is no longer sufficient to support the further internationalization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Despite the growing popularity of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments and herbal products overseas, most international consumers struggle to purchase the specific TCM products they need abroad. The number of retail outlets selling TCM products overseas is limited, and the variety and inventory available in these stores fall short of those in China.
In the past, overseas users typically had to rely on friends in China to purchase traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products on their behalf. With the rapid development of the internet, new channels have emerged for purchasing TCM products from abroad.
Currently, a scattered selection of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products can be found on international e-commerce platforms such as eBay. However, these are predominantly offered by individual sellers, making quality assurance difficult. Furthermore, sales prices are exorbitantly high due to factors such as limited operational scale and international shipping costs. There is currently a lack of truly global, large-scale, and comprehensive cross-border e-commerce and TCM service platforms that offer guaranteed quality for traditional Chinese medicine.
In 2015, Beijing Tongrentang established Tongrentang International to break through the traditional overseas development model of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), leverage the internet to promote the global expansion of TCM, and drive innovation in TCM service trade.
On December 16, 2016, the Tongrentang International Traditional Chinese Medicine Global Expansion Platform (TRTMED.COM) was officially launched. Compared with traditional models, the Tongrentang International Traditional Chinese Medicine Platform has achieved three major breakthroughs:
First, a direct procurement model from source to user: Tongrentang integrates the highest-quality traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) manufacturers in China, supplying products directly from the source to global users. This approach ensures product authenticity while eliminating intermediaries, significantly reducing costs and addressing the long-standing issue of high prices for overseas purchases of TCM.
Second, integrate the global supply chain to enable direct overseas shipping. Tongrentang’s worldwide network of offline stores and warehouse systems will help the platform achieve higher delivery efficiency. For instance, when a user in Canada places an online order, products can be shipped directly from the Canadian warehouse, significantly reducing delivery time.
Third, transitioning from product sales to health services to achieve comprehensive, precision health management. The health service management module and the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) platform of Tongrentang International will be integrated at the backend, enabling global users not only to purchase high-quality TCM products but also to access premium health services and comprehensive TCM health information.
Currently, the Tongrentang International Traditional Chinese Medicine Platform has expanded its reach to seven countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore, supporting settlement in 15 currencies such as the US dollar, euro, and British pound.By mid-2017, it will achieve comprehensive coverage across Southeast Asia and Europe, with plans to cover major countries worldwide by 2018.