Alibaba’s AliExpress pushes ‘10 billion yuan of subsidies’ campaign to entice more Chinese brands and merchants to sell in overseas markets

The campaign called “10 billion yuan of subsidies” – a typical mainland marketing phrase used to tout large online allotments – will be given to an initial batch of 1,000 Chinese brands and merchants, including those who have already opened a store on Alibaba’s domestic retail platform Tmall, according to an AliExpress statement on Monday. … Read more

Alibaba, navigating sea change, reorients business towards bread-and-butter e-commerce and AI, pares down overhaul

By March 2023, Alibaba had lost three quarters of its value from the peak in October 2020, as the e-commerce giant, once seen as China’s answer to Amazon.com, faces questions on whether it can recapture its former glory while dealing with China’s economic slowdown, regulatory scrutiny and fierce competition from old and new rivals. The … Read more

Alibaba connects Taobao and 1688 to tap new users as fierce e-commerce competition ratchets higher

Alibaba Group Holding is integrating the services of its online wholesale marketplace 1688 with its flagship consumer shopping platform Taobao, as the e-commerce giant continues to consolidate assets amid internal restructuring and rising competition. Taobao has recently featured three online stores under the 1688 name as it pushes to win over new users, according to … Read more

ByteDance-owned Douyin launches stand-alone shopping app in China, heating up the competition against Alibaba, JD.com, PDD

Douyin Mall was launched last week as a downloadable app for Android users in mainland China, the world’s largest smartphone market. An Apple iOS version of the app was not released as of Tuesday. The new app serves “as an extension of the Douyin platform, designed to elevate the overall shopping experience of [its] existing … Read more

Alibaba tests generative AI tools for Taobao and Tmall merchants as new tech arms race heats up China’s e-commerce sector

The generative AI tools provided by Huiwa, operated by Alibaba subsidiary Hangzhou Lianfan Information Technology, enable merchants to create both text and graphics content. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. A merchant, for example, can input a brief description of a product, which prompts the tool to create customised content for marketing and promotion. … Read more

Alibaba’s South Asian e-commerce unit Daraz to conduct new round of lay-offs

“Reluctantly, we will bid farewell to many valued members of the Daraz family,” acting chief executive James Dong said in an internal memo published on the company’s website on Tuesday. Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, acquired Daraz in 2018. “Despite our efforts to explore different solutions, our cost structure continues to fall … Read more

Temu splashes out on Super Bowl ads as interest on the Chinese e-commerce app fades among US shoppers

Temu spent big at the Super Bowl on Sunday night, airing its advertisement six times and offering US$10 million in giveaways as it hopes to reinvigorate wavering US growth. Observed sales fell 12.5 per cent month-on-month in December and 4.8 per cent in January, a sharp drop from the Chinese e-commerce app’s growth of more … Read more

Alibaba’s South Asian platform Daraz names new CEO in latest executive reshuffling at the Chinese e-commerce giant

Daraz Group, a South Asian online shopping platform owned by Alibaba Group Holding, has named a new chief executive, amid continued leadership reshuffling at the Chinese e-commerce giant. James Dong, who already runs Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada Group, has been appointed as the platform’s acting CEO, Daraz Group said in a statement on Wednesday. … Read more

Alibaba, TikTok woo US with AI and live-streaming e-commerce at CES trade show, setting the tone for 2024

“With advances in AI, we are ushering in the next generation of sourcing and empowering small businesses to succeed with our Smart Assistant at their side,” Chris Lu, general manager at Alibaba.com North America, said in a statement last week. The Alibaba.com booth features the e-commerce platform’s artificial intelligence-powered Smart Assistant, designed to help users … Read more

China price wars help spark US$157 billion rout in mainland consumer stocks as Alibaba, Yum China and BYD drag the market

Gauges of consumer stocks have been the worst performers on the MSCI China Index since the end of September, after the real estate measure. The aggregate market value of companies included in the two consumer indexes has fallen by about US$157 billion since. Consumer stocks have been the worst performers on the MSCI China Index … Read more