貿易商功能與商業模式的演進

Abstract

台灣屬於以出口為導向的經濟體，經濟發展高度仰賴對外貿易，因此，有進行貿易行為的貿易商或中小企業在台灣的經濟發展中扮演相當重要的角色。根據經濟部及商業發展研究院的調查，發現台灣的純粹貿易商家數近年來不斷減少，且貿易服務業者存在大者愈大，小者愈小的趨勢。隨著全球貿易自由化以及科技進步，消費者越來越容易取得資訊，貿易商在市場上的價值與地位日趨低落。此外，台灣貿易商經常受到政經情勢的轉變及國際經貿情勢的困難等影響，加上近年來電子商務平台崛起、美中貿易戰以及COVID-19疫情等多重衝擊，貿易商的角色與功能受到了極大的挑戰，面臨這些困境，貿易商的功能與商業模式勢必得轉型與升級。 本研究透過探討東亞各大標竿貿易商的發展歷程，研究其如何轉型以因應不斷的挑戰，同時探討他們是否有共同的經營型態轉變的趨勢，以提供台灣貿易商功能與商業模式轉型與升級一個通用的參考依據。研究個案包含台灣恆隆行、台灣高林實業股份有限公司、中國義烏小商品批發市場、香港利豐（馮氏）集團、日本三菱商事以及韓國三星集團。本研究發現，這些貿易產業中的領導者的確存在一些共同的經營型態、貿易功能以及商業模式演變的趨勢。第一是皆在有資源時多角化其經營業務；第二是皆不再將自己定位為純粹貿易商，而是走向發展成為零售商與品牌商；第三是皆朝向數位化、數位優化及數位轉型發展。此外，本研究也分析整理電子商務平台崛起、美中貿易戰、COVID-19等重大事件對貿易商造成的衝擊與貿易商的應對策略。最後，本研究提供台灣不同規模的貿易商未來經營模式的建議，期許台灣貿易商能持續壯大，為台灣的經濟發展做出實質貢獻。

Taiwan is an export-oriented economy, and its economic development is highly dependent on foreign trade. Therefore, trading companies or small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that engage in trading activities play a very important role in Taiwan's economic development. According to the survey conducted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C. and Commerce Development Research Institute, the number of pure trading companies in Taiwan has been decreasing in recent years, and there is a trend of the trade industry that big trading companies are getting bigger and bigger and small trading companies are getting smaller and smaller. With the liberalization of global trade and the advancement of technology, consumers have been becoming more and more accessible to information, and consequently the value and status of trading companies in the market has been declining. In addition, Taiwanese trading companies are often affected by changes in political situations and international economic and trade situations. Coupled with the rise of e-commerce platforms in recent years and multiple impacts such as US-China trade war and COVID-19 epidemic, the roles and functions of trading companies have been greatly challenged. Faced with these challenges, the functions and business models of trading companies are bound to be transformed and upgraded. The purpose of this study is to discuss how the major benchmark trading companies in East Asia have transformed in response to challenges and whether there is a common trend of business model transformation, and to provide a general reference for the transformation and upgrading of Taiwanese trading companies' functions and business models. The trading companies in East Asia we studied include Hengstyle (Taiwan), Collins Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), Yiwu Commodities Market (China), Li & Fung Group (Hong Kong), Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan), and Samsung Group (South Korea). With the study of the cases, we find that the leaders in trade industry in East Asia do share some common trends in the evolution of trade functions and business models. The first is that they diversify their businesses when resources are available and abundant. The second is that they are no longer positioning themselves as pure trading companies, but rather as retailers and brand owners. The third is that they are moving toward digitization, digital optimization, and digital transformation. In addition, we analyze the impact of major events on trading companies and their strategies to cope with them, such as the rise of e-commerce platforms, US-China trade war, and COVID-19 epidemic. Finally, we provide suggestions on the future business models of trading companies of different sizes in Taiwan, hoping that Taiwanese trading companies will grow in the future and make substantial contributions to Taiwan's economic development.