The world’s largest online and mobile commerce company, Alibaba Group is meeting with key Australian and New Zealand stakeholders to advance its local operations and increase the scope of ANZ businesses in reaching international consumers.
This week, Alibaba Group’s president, Michael Evans, who leads the international growth strategy for globalising the company and expanding its business outside of China, will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington as part of a roadshow that will educate companies on how they can use Alibaba Group’s various platforms as a gateway to China and other international markets.
“We believe the international growth opportunity for Alibaba Group is enormous. ANZ is one of our key markets and a stronger presence here will advance our global goal of serving two billion consumers, while supporting tens of millions of small businesses, brands and retailers across the world,” said Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group.
Evans’ visit comes in advance of the opening of an ANZ office in Melbourne in the latter half of 2016. Local operations will be led by Maggie Zhou, managing director; John O ‘Loghlen, business development director; and James Hudson, director of corporate affairs and marketing.
“With a local office and expanded team, we will be well positioned to support Australian and New Zealand merchants already on our platforms, as well as new merchants looking to expand into China,” said Maggie Zhou, managing director Alibaba Australia. “We have an active consumer base of 423 million across our China retail platforms where they have access to authentic and quality products from countries around the world.
“By working together with brands and retailers, we want to be an enabling force for local businesses and entrepreneurs striving for success.”
According to Alibaba Group, Australian and New Zealand products are thriving on its Tmall Global site, but there is ‘still huge potential for growth,’ due primarily to Chinese consumers’ growing demand for quality products coupled with the trusted reputations of both countries.
Currently, there are 1300 Australian brands on Tmall and Tmall Global combined, 80 per cent of which entered China for the first time through these platforms.
The best performing ANZ categories on Tmall and Tmall Global are mother and baby, supplement, cosmetic, and food and beverage, currently served by Blackmores, a2 Milk, Jurlique, Fonterra and Penfolds. At the same time, smaller companies are gaining access to the platform via retailers, including Australia Post, Woolworth and Chemist Warehouse, which stock a range of locally-owned products.
“In Australia and New Zealand, Alibaba Group is best known for its e-commerce platforms, which are backed by our infrastructural support in areas of payment, cloud, digital entertainment and travel logistics, said Evans. “These services give companies the tools they need to access international consumers, while at the same time improving the experience of consumers who want to shop globally.”
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