Alibaba’s global sales platform woos Chinese merchants kicked out of Amazon
- AliExpress has set up a new team in the southern trading hub of Shenzhen, dedicated to serving the city’s cross-border online merchants
- Several major Chinese brands that saw their stores shut down on Amazon during a crackdown on fake customer reviews have joined AliExpress, the Chinese site said
AliExpress, the global marketplace operated by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, is expanding its presence in the trading hub of Shenzhen, where a rapidly growing community of cross-border merchants suffered a recent crackdown by Amazon that saw thousands of online stores closed.
The Shenzhen Business Expansion Centre, unveiled on Friday, houses AliExpress’ first local support team in southern China. It will be responsible for recruiting and providing training to sellers in the city, said Wang Demin, head of merchant recruitment and development at AliExpress.
“Since the pandemic, many merchants have seen opportunities in the cross-border sector and wished to get on board quickly. However, they may not have the experience and need to have some hands-on guidance,” Wang said.
AliExpress said it aims to open eight business expansion centres across China by the end of next March, with a focus on supply chain hubs such as the Pearl River Delta, a cluster of southern cities that include Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Foshan, among others.
Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.
AliExpress’ recruitment drive comes as Shenzhen’s “made in China, sold on Amazon” community scrambles to find alternative platforms to sell to foreign customers after the US shopping site shut down a host of stores in a clampdown against fake customer reviews and other terms violations.