What's the buzz

The price war among China's major online retailers has attracted a lot of attention and buyers, although many netizens believe it to be a purely promotional stunt. Has the price war forced you to become an impulsive buyer? And what's your opinion on the price war itself? China Daily's mobile phone news readers share their views:

Initially, I was attracted by the seemingly large-scale price cut in an advertisement. But I was disappointed when I paid close attention to the campaign. Home appliances were limited and goods on discount always out of stock in the online stores. Besides, I was worried about the quality of the goods sold on discount and the after-sales service. I think online retailers are trying to draw more customers on the pretext of a price war. They hardly offer any substantial benefit to consumers.

XIAOXING, Fuzhou, Fujian province

As far as I am concerned, it is a mere marketing trick to force potential consumers into buying. Consumers should treat such promotions with caution and buy only things they need and can afford instead of being impulsive buyers. Impulsive buying is a big no-no for me.

CAOYUTIAN, Xi'an, Shaanxi province

The price war is essentially home-appliance retailers' tactics to rebalance the market share. In the long run, such cutthroat competition would become a tool in the hands of retailers to seek more profit and throw the interests of consumers to the winds. A healthy competition does not only focus on price cuts, but also better quality service.

YANGHOUFA, Jinan, Shandong province

Whether the price war among online home-appliance retailers is to attract consumers' attention, help adjust product structure or change the sector's operating pattern does not matter as long as the competition is fair and consumers' interests are not compromised. In a market, consumers can benefit only if there is competition among retailers (as well as manufacturers).

MUNAN, Wuhan, Hubei province

In my opinion, Suning has won the competition. Though 360buy's earlier advertising campaign was very aggressive, it failed to honor its promise by saying that goods with sharp price reduction were so few that they were sold out immediately after the announcement. Suning proved its sincerity and was welcomed by consumers who pushed up its sales tenfold. Therefore, I hail Suning's practical management philosophy.

VICTOR, Jiangmen, Guangdong province

The price war made me excited initially and I thought customers could save some money, only to find out, after searching the Internet, that the price difference was not much. The price war among online retailers can boost consumption in the beginning. But it will ultimately damage consumers' confidence and retailers' credibility when people find out the fact. What we need is a healthy and honest environment for consumers.

LIZI, Langfang, Hebei province

(China Daily 08/20/2012 page9)