China’s Alibaba woos European, U.S. small businesses as it goes global

From CNBC: 2024-06-06 19:00:01

Alibaba.com, the B2B platform of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is expanding globally with new services for small businesses in the U.S. and Europe. “Alibaba Guaranteed” promises certain delivery, payments, and dispute settlement, catering to businesses outside China. The platform aims to simplify international trade complexities and provide definite delivery dates and local returns for buyers. The number of buyers on Alibaba.com has tripled in the past five years, with an online GMV of about $50 billion. Demand for equipment like custom printing and laser cutting machines has surged in the last few years due to supply chain diversification post-Covid and growth in the new energy vehicle industry. Alibaba.com invested in European B2B platform Visable to help EU-based suppliers accelerate digital commerce and enhance trade within the region. The company will introduce AI tools on the platform this year, enabling merchants to generate product descriptions and provide customer service support efficiently.

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