It's been said a billion times before, but the rate of change here is truly unprecedented. China has gone from the old way of doing things to a digitised and hyper-connected new reality, without going through much of the gradual development in between. Change on this scale is always disruptive – if you're not keeping up you'll soon be outrun – but you cannot have progress without change. Focus naturally falls on the retail and consumer goods sector – but it doesn't end there – B2B is not far behind and customers are expecting more and more.

Locating and fixing problems and incompatibilities with a properly China-optimised website is a good start, but harnessing the power of Alibaba's domestic B2B platform 1688.com will make it easier for both customers to find you, and for you to find your customers. In a market the size of China's, taking your B2B business online on the right platforms can grant you access vast amounts of potential clients. And with the sophisticated marketing tools available, finding your clients is now easier than ever.

China famously doesn't rely on Google, but Baidu is not too different. Tweak your current SEM strategy to suit the local market and you'll be well on your way.

JOHAN & JOHAN co-founder Johan Aledal and Online B2B Manager Emma Hellbom will host a breakfast seminar with invited speakers at J&J's The Swedish Space at ISETAN Shanghai, and talk about how to get a head start as China's B2B markets go digital.