A look at Hangzhou's urban landscape. [Photo/IC]

In Hangzhou – capital of East China's Zhejiang province – an important initiative in e-commerce was recently unveiled.

The first international standard for e-commerce after-sales services – spearheaded by Hangzhou's market supervision bureau, along with the Hangzhou Institute of Standardization and China Certification and Inspection Group – was published by the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO.

Entitled E-commerce Transaction Assurance—After-Sales Service (ISO/TR 32123:2024), the standard sets a benchmark for defining after-sales service characteristics, analyzing quality determinants and proposing improvement measures.

As e-commerce continues to thrive globally, inconsistent after-sales services are said to remain a major challenge affecting customer satisfaction.

The newly released standard identifies key activities, touchpoints and service factors in after-sales processes. It also examines policies, information flows and resources impacting service quality – offering practical guidelines based on international best practice.

The development of the standard was a collaborative effort involving experts from China, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Singapore, France, Germany and South Korea.

It's hoped that the release of the standard will drive sustainable growth in the e-commerce sector, by equipping governments with actionable policy guidance and helping businesses to build efficient and reliable after-sales systems.

The achievement is seen as positioning Hangzhou as a leader in setting global benchmarks, further strengthening consumer confidence and shaping the future of e-commerce worldwide.

Officers from Hangzhou Customs check parcels for e-commerce businesses. [Photo/WeChat account: chcecpa]