Alibaba targets 2,600 new international brands for Tmall

The retail giant said it would attempt to add 2,600 international brands and more than 2,000 “in-demand overseas products” in time for its Singles Day’ Global Shopping Festival on November 11. 

Tmall saw the number of new brands launching on its platform increase by 125% between April and the end of August this year, with more than 200,000 new products debuting between January and March. 

Tmall’s president of import and export Alvin Liu said the explosion in demand for overseas products from Chinese consumers is being driven by ongoing travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Liu added: “International brands need a trusted channel for reaching Chinese consumers, while domestic shoppers are looking for ways to buy more quality products from abroad. 

“Our capabilities in consumer analytics, logistics, channel management and marketing support are making Tmall Global the premier meeting place for this activity.”

Last year’s Singles’ Day event broke its own record for the most retail sales in a single day, with more than $30.8bn (£23bn) in sales in 16.5 hours.

The news came as Tmall announced it would be introducing livestreaming in retail warehouses and industrial parks to “build shopping excitement”. 

Tmall said it currently livestreams from one of its warehouses in Hangzhou, where hosts “interactively share their experience on important products with their viewers”. 

So far 1,000 international brands have signed up for warehouse livestreaming, which has generated more than RMB 100m in revenue. 

As a result, the retailer plans on expanding its livestreaming studios to 10 other cities, including Hainan and Shanghai, over the next year. 

This increased focus on livestreaming is the latest move in Tmall’s ‘Three New’ international strategy, launched in September 2019. The strategy focuses on introducing customers to new categories, brands and products.