Talent shortage still a major bugbear for online firms

With Chinese businesses increasingly focusing on mobile and social consumers, they have often found it a tough challenge to address the issue of talent gaps.

There is no doubt that for businesses in China today, all roads lead to digital. PwC's 17th Annual CEO Survey found that 85 percent of Chinese CEOs cite technology as the primary force shaping their business.

And more than anywhere else, it sees mobile and social technologies characterizing what it means to be digital in China. These investments have been driven by a desire to go where the customer is.

PwC's Entertainment and Media Outlook 2014 confirms that Chinese consumers have adopted mobile as the dominant device to access the Internet.

In fact, 2015 will be an inflection point in China, where consumer spend on mobile Internet access will exceed fixed broadband for the first time.

PwC's Global Total Retail Survey 2013 found that Chinese consumers were twice as likely to let social media networks influence their purchase decisions as their global peers.

Despite products and services being adapted to enhance consumers' digital lifestyles, PwC's Digital IQ Survey 2014 found a majority of businesses in China cite a distinct gap between digital strategy and execution.

For example, although Chinese businesses have chosen mobile as the primary device, many fail to consider how it can improve customer experience more broadly.

While many businesses engage across multiple social platforms, there is a lack of understanding on turning mobile strategy into tangible business impact.