Internet: A new world for small town shoppers

China's e-commerce takeoff is reaching customers in remote areas where stores are few and the costs of building a physical retail presence are high.

According to a study by Taobao.com, China's biggest customer-to-customer electronic trading website, online shopping has in effect unlocked the consumption potential of lower-tier urban residents.

The research, which surveyed 2,006 counties in 2012, suggested that about 30 million such people purchased goods with a combined value of 179 billion yuan ($29.2 billion) on Taobao, up 87 percent year-on-year. That is a per-capita average of 6,000 yuan, eclipsing the 4,700 yuan spent by shoppers in first- and second-tier cities.