Research On Influential Factors Of Product Diversification In Taobao Villages From The Perspective Of Path Creation

After entering the Internet era,the rapid growth and wide use of information and communication technology have cultivated a geographical agglomeration of ecommerce activities in rural China,so-called Taobao villages.With the advantages of flexible operation and low barriers to entry,Taobao platform(the biggest e-commerce platform in China)has become popular for many rural entrepreneurs to seek business opportunities.Especially in recent years,Taobao villages have experienced explosive growth,and rural e-commerce development is particularly impactful in China.A number of studies have confirmed the potential of Taobao villages for promoting entrepreneurship and employment,improving residents' income,attracting talents to return home,as well as accelerating regional industrial transformation.Taobao village is not only a model for responding to the call of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”,but also provides a new development path in rural areas.To answer the question of how Taobao villages create new industrial path,this study measures it from the aspects of vertical diversification and horizontal diversification of products,and builds an analysis framework for the factors affecting Taobao villages' product diversification based on the “local-external” connection.282 Taobao villages in Zhejiang province are selected as research objects.Besides,relevant data of this study is obtained through field research and interviews.After analyzing the improvement of product diversification of Taobao villages and its spatial distribution pattern in Zhejiang Province,the multivariate logit regression model and interview data are used to analyze the impact mechanism of the improvement of product diversification of Taobao Villages.The results show that: Firstly,after the introduction the e-commerce,the improvement of product diversification has developed well but shows a trend of polarization,and the improvement of vertical diversification and horizontal diversification are roughly the same.Second,Taobao villages in Zhejiang Province have obvious spatial aggregation characteristics in terms of the improvement of product diversification.The high-value aggregation points of improvement of product vertical diversification are mainly located in Lin'an,Huzhou,Cixi and Yuyao,while the high-value aggregation points of improvement of horizontal diversification are mainly situated in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area,Cixi as well as Yuyao.The low-value gathering points of both are in Yiwu City.Third,improving the level of deepening processing and management can promote the vertical product diversification of Taobao villages.Fourth,the development of logistics industry is negatively correlated with the improvement of the vertical product diversification.Fifth,the improvement of mechanization operation level,product deepening processing and management have a significant positive effect on the improvement of horizontal product diversification.Finally,the proportion of products sold online,the condition of policy support,as well as the presence of e-commerce association have no significant effect on the improvement of product diversification.