E-commerce giant, Alibaba, has set their sights on the ANZ market after striking a deal with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), which will expand the variety of products sold to Chinese consumers through its online platforms. Maggie Zhou, managing director of Alibaba Australia and New Zealand, said ANZ is a key market for the e-commerce giant and the new deal supported exporters looking to capitalise on the expanding middle class in China. “With Alibaba Group’s new
Melbourne office opening later this year, our local team will be dedicated to providing businesses the information and tools they need to advance their international growth,” she said.
Alibaba also plans on establishing a channel on Youku.com, a leading provider of video and streaming services in China with over 500 million monthly active users, to further promote fresh ANZ produce.
Alibaba markets have more than 434 million users and take 12.7 billion orders each year.
A promotion for New Zealand oysters last year saw 50,000 sold online in one day, with buyers able to track the temperature of the oysters on a mobile phone app from NZ to China.
Aussie retailer, Chemist Warehouse was the first Tmall Global merchant to reach $2 million in sales on one day during the 2015 “global shopping festival”.
The signing of the agreement was witnessed at a ceremony at Alibaba’s corporate headquarters in Hangzhou by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Jack Ma, Alibaba Group’s founder and executive chairman.
“The next chapter of trade between China and Australia will require closer cooperation and this agreement provides a new framework to ensure more businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, can benefit through the partnership between Austrade and Alibaba,” Ma said.
