China's cross-border e-commerce companies fuel office demand

Office buildings in South China have traditionally served finance, TMT, and established professional services sectors. As Chinese companies accelerate their global expansion, particularly cross-border e-commerce companies, the office market sees growing demand for specialised cross‑border business services. In this new landscape, cross-border services providers, including payments and traffic marketing providers, now drive demand for new office space that is optimised for compliance, technology, and collaboration.

Tightening global financial regulation and stricter domestic licensing requirements mean cross-border payment providers now prioritise compliance. This shift drives industry consolidation through mergers and acquisitions. Operating models evolve from basic order settlement to compliance and technology‑led delivery. Firms require deeper expertise in fintech, legal affairs, and government relations—capabilities found in talent‑dense urban hubs.

JLL’s analysis of Shenzhen’s major cross-border service providers reveals that approximately 65% of cross-border payment companies are in Futian CBD or Nanshan’s High-tech Park, with 27% occupying Grade A office buildings. These locations provide proximity to skilled professionals and financial ecosystems. In Guangzhou, most cross-border payment providers similarly choose Grade A office buildings in the city’s core urban precincts.

In the meantime, global marketing shifts from search‑led tactics to omnichannel, social‑first strategies that prioritize social platforms for customer engagement. Cross-border traffic marketing providers now leverage diverse social media platforms to build private‑domain traffic, while AI‑powered analytics and user profiling integrate flows across platforms and enable diversified growth models. A clear division emerges:

• Data‑tech providers focus on AI‑driven, full‑funnel traffic integration. They rely on algorithm engineers and data analysts, requiring office spaces that support intensive technical collaboration and creative incubation. In Shenzhen, around 32% of these companies cluster in Nanshan’s High-tech Park and similar tech hubs.
  
  
• Brand‑operations providers specialise in social media operations and private‑domain conversion, staying close to cross‑border e‑commerce clients and platform resources. In Shenzhen, roughly 20% select the Longhua–Bantian e‑commerce clusters to enable agile collaboration.
   

Location decisions also consider policy support for leading cross‑border traffic marketing providers, including subsidies and the efficiency of administrative services.

Figure 1: Cross-border service provider clusters in Shenzhen

Note: The majority of Shenzhen’s cross-border service providers are based in the city's core submarkets, including Futian CBD, Chegongmiao, High-tech Park, Houhai, and the emerging submarkets of Longhua-Bantian, Qianhai and Bao'an Central.
Source: JLL Research

Cross-border payment and digital marketing providers are empowering Chinese firms to evolve from product exporters into global brands and ecosystem builders, as these firms accelerate overseas expansion. This transition demands larger, more specialised cross-border service providers with innovative business models, further diversifying office space requirements. Sustained demand continues for workplaces that are talent-dense, compliance-ready and strategically located near critical resources. This will position Chinese firms for sustained global success.