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The purpose of this paper is to build on Steenkamp’s reflections, and introduce emerging and important developments that are shaping the global landscape and influencing global consumer culture (GCC) and global brands (GBs).

The paper is a thought piece.

The implications for GCC and GBs are discussed in the context of digital networked technologies, new brands from emerging markets and the digitally connected bottom of the pyramid consumers.

The paper suggests areas where research value can be added within the GCC and global branding literatures.

A wide urban–rural income gap exists in China despite the implementation of pro-rural policies. Additionally, with the proliferation of the internet and information technology, the promotion effect of e-commerce on the economy has become apparent. Accordingly, China has been actively encouraging rural households to participate in e-commerce activities. This study aims to examine the effect of e-commerce on the urban–rural income gap.

In the study, linear and panel threshold models were applied to provincial-level panel data from 2002 to 2018.

The results of the linear model show that e-commerce contributes to narrowing the urban–rural income gap. Moreover, the panel threshold model results show that the narrowing effect exists in regions where the e-commerce intensity is at a medium-to-high level and urbanization is at a relatively low level; otherwise, e-commerce has no effect. In addition, in regions with a relatively high level of public expenditure and education, the income-gap-narrowing effect of e-commerce is more than double.

The urban–rural income gap can be reduced by promoting e-commerce and reducing the urban–rural divide in e-commerce use.

To determine how varying levels of e-commerce development affect the urban–rural income gap across regions, the study proposes four key causes of the digital divide in e-commerce: e-commerce intensity, public expenditure level, urbanization level and education level and applies the variables as threshold variables to examine the non-linear effect of e-commerce on the income gap.