On November 11, Alibaba concluded its 12th annual 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. The event also known as “SinglesDay,” is the world’s largest online shopping event. This year, more than 800 million consumers and over 250,000 brands –31,000 internationally – participated in our annual global sales extravaganza. Thousands of U.S. brands and SMEs such as Fender, C.O. Bigelow, Allbirds and BISSELLwere at the forefront.

Overall, the global eventreached a total of $74.10 billion in sales. U.S. brands, retailers, SMEs and farmers generated $5.4 billion insales, the largest sales figures from a single country or region outside ofChina. The SME winners of our U.S. 11.11 Go Global Pitch Fest also participated in Singles Dayfor the first time this year, and had the opportunity to reach hundreds of millions of new customers and grow theircustomer base and brand recognition.

Global brand recovery was a key focus of Singles Day 2020 as businesses continue to adapt and recoverfrom the pandemic. For that reason, the event featured two shopping windows -the first from November 1-3 and the second for 24 hours on November 11. Thisallowed more opportunities for brands and merchants to profile existing andinnovative products and more time for consumers to browse, enjoy livestreaming,and engage with interactive content and entertaining shopping experiences.

Family-owned and Michigan-basedfloor care company BISSELL was just one of the companies thathad a highly successful 11.11. “I'm happy to report we had areally great year! We livestreamed from our office to Tmall for 16 hoursstraight,” said Max Bissell, the company’sdirector of deep-cleaning systems. “The scale in China is huge... weworked closely with the Tmall team with the goal to quadruple our sales [from last year's 11.11]. We're pleased to share that we overdelivered and the teamin Michigan is ecstatic.”

Weare proud of the success of this year’s event, which increased support formerchants affected by COVID-19 and offered unique opportunities for Chinese consumersto purchase from U.S. brands. We look forward to building on the success of 11.11and continuing to help U.S. businesses grow globally and emerge from thepandemic in a stronger position.

San Francisco–based Allbirds is known for its commitment to sustainability and its eco-friendly shoes. The brand, which recently expanded into apparel, launched on Tmall in April 2019. When the pandemic hit and stores closed, Allbirds leveraged Alibaba’s technology to help its brick-and-mortar staff pivot from dealing with consumers directly in-store to supporting e-commerce fulfillment and providing customer service virtually. Allbirds also leveraged Alibaba’s digital technology to enable live video chat, so Chinese consumers could speak with retail staff and view products online in real time.

For this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, Allbirds released a special edition shoe designed  exclusively to appeal to Chinese consumers. In addition, the brand utilized the festival to educate Chinese shoppers about its sustainably made products and to raise awareness of its carbon reduction efforts.

Based in California, Uncle Bud’s launched its hemp and CBD health productson Alibaba’s Tmall Global during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival with thehelp of a familiar face: NBA superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Johnson, an UncleBud’s brand partner, conducted a livestreaming session from LA straight toChinese consumers to promote the launch of the brand. Speaking of hisopportunity to engage with Chinese consumers Johnson said, “they get a chance tomeet Magic Johnson and get to know me, and I get to talk to them directlymyself.”

In a recent Forbes interview, Johnson also spoke about the enormous opportunity that sellingthrough Alibaba provides for Uncle Bud’s. “I’m excited to bepart of this significant development and business expansion for Uncle Bud’s because China has an enormous buying power and a large consumer base. The Tmalllive event is a great way to connect with this viable market and introduceUncle Buds products to a new customer base.”

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Recently, I sat down with the National Retail Federation (NRF) President and CEO Matt Shay to discuss Alibaba’s work to connect American brands, retailers and SMEs with new growth opportunities abroad. For Matt, the NRF, and its members, 2020 has been an especially challenging time. To adapt during the pandemic, businesses have had to turn to e-commerce and global markets to diversify and grow their businesses.

I am proud to say that Alibaba has stood with these companies to help them through this transition. With many storefronts closed during the pandemic, Alibaba has empowered American companies by digitizing their businesses and helping them reach global markets. We are continuing to invest in building our digital capabilities, offering new and innovative tools and strategies to help American brands generate sales, engage with customers, rebuild their businesses and recover.

Alibaba recently launched its inaugural Digitization Sprint for U.S. Manufacturers, which will give manufacturers the support they need to digitize and grow globally. We are also working to protect the hard-earned intellectual property of small and medium-sized businesses through the Alibaba Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance.

Last week we unveiled plans for our 2020 11.11 Global Shopping Festival (also known as “Singles Day”). It’s is not only the world’s largest shopping event — last year’s sales topped $38 billion in 24-hours. Singles Day provides an opportunity to showcase American brands, retailers and SMEs that are adapting, thriving, and reaching new customers through Alibaba’s platforms.

This year we will host a live virtual event Global Opportunities: Understanding 11.11 on November 11th for U.S. audiences to learn about the Chinese consumer market and to hear directly from some of the U.S. brands that are selling their U.S. products there. The U.S. small business winners of our first-ever 11.11 Go Global Pitch Fest will talk about their first 11.11 experience. You can see more information about the event and register here.

While Alibaba has been helping American brands grow globally for more than two decades, today this work is more important than ever. We look forward to helping thousands of  American brands find growth and new customers this November and into the future.  I will be back in touch after the event to share details of their success.

Consumers may not intuitively think of fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the e-commerce landscape, but thanks to a robust global supply chain, shoppers worldwide can enjoy fresh produce year-round.

Fruit flows from Southern Hemisphere countries to supplement North American production in the off-season resulting in fruits like blueberries, oranges, and grapes always being available. A consistent flavor experience will help increase demand and sales for fresh produce and help fulfill the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) vision to grow a healthier world.

PMA members have first-hand experience taking their branded products and reaching vast Chinese customers through TMall and other Alibaba platforms. They have shared their success stories with me, especially surrounding Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival (aka Singles Day), and I’ve shared these as case studies of what the future will look like in other global markets.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to visit the Alibaba headquarters in Hangzhou, China. What a truly eye-opening experience for me to see the scale of transactions that were taking place in real-time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been a challenge for the fresh produce industry, but it has also highlighted the opportunities for selling products through new channels and platforms.

E-commerce, which was already on the rise, became a much more viable route to market when other channels were restricted or shut down.

It’s been estimated that the pandemic not only accelerated 10 years’ worth of e-commerce growth in just 3 months, it also spurred the creation of a new type of consumer in that same time frame. A consumer driven by convenience, safety, and an interest in improving personal health and well-being are attributes of people who buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

What has been commonplace for the Chinese consumer has become familiar to consumers in the United States and other markets over the past decade. Alibaba is well-positioned to take its B2B and B2C experiences in China and accelerate online and e-commerce opportunities in new markets.

This month, Alibaba.com released results from its second annual U.S. Small and Medium Business (SMB) Survey, which found that U.S. SMB manufacturers are digitizing at twice the rate of other industries during the pandemic.‍

Our research finds that digitization is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have for companies in every industry to bridge from surviving to thriving in the next era of business.

To help U.S. SMBs accelerate the shift to e-commerce, Alibaba.com will launch a new “Digitization Sprint for U.S. SMB Manufacturers” program in November.  We have assembled a team of experts who will give participating manufacturers a four-week masterclass in online marketing, selling and sourcing to ensure long-term success. The program will be offered to qualified manufacturers at no cost.

The research, which sampled more than 5,000 U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, was conducted by the leading global research firm Ipsos between September 4-20,2020. Other key findings from the survey showed that:

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• U.S. SMBs accelerated their pivot to digital: 93% of B2B companies are now conducting some portion of their business online, up from 90% in December, and 43% are utilizing e-commerce, an 8% increase over December.
  
• U.S. SMBs are finding opportunities internationally: even with supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, 63% of B2B companies report conducting some cross-border B2B trade, up from 59% in December.
  
• U.S. SMB manufacturers surpassed other industries in digitization: amid the pandemic, U.S. SMB manufacturers’ online B2B trade increased 8% - twice the rate of the overall 4% increase in all industries for the same period and tied with retail as the industries with the most digital growth.

U.S. SMB manufacturers have tremendous potential to grow their online business and emerge from this pandemic better positioned for the future. Our first-ever Digitization Sprint will give manufacturers the curriculum, coaching, and community they need to accelerate their digital skills and access the $23.9 trillion global B2B e-commerce opportunity.

U.S. SMB manufacturers with fewer than 500 employees can apply to join the initiative at alibaba.com/digitalsprint.

For many American brands partnering with Alibaba, 11.11 is one of the biggest growth drivers every year –and this year will be no exception. This year’s event will provide broader consumer reach and bigger promotions, double the number of shopping windows that will spotlight brands, products and special offers, and the popular livestreaming technology creating more fun and engagement for consumers.

A new sales window will also be added from November 1 to 3, ahead of the main event, to provide new brands and small businesses the opportunity to showcase their products and tell their stories amid the pandemic.

For more than two decades, Alibaba has worked with American small businesses, farmers, and major brands to sell everything from agricultural products to cosmetics and fashion to markets around the globe. During the pandemic, we believe it is even more critical for U.S. businesses to sell their products online and abroad.

The American public agrees.

Last month, Echelon Insights surveyed 1,000 likely voters from August 14-August 18, 2020. 80% of respondents agreed that having access to customers worldwide is essential for businesses to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, 77% of respondents agreed that small and medium-sized businesses need access to digital tools, diversified supply chains, and customers around the world to compete and grow.

Alibaba’s Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest, launched earlier this month, is an example of our recent efforts to help U.S. small businesses expand globally. The nine winning brands will now begin setting up storefronts on Tmall Global and are slated to participate in Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.

During September, Alibaba also helped U.S. designers gain exposure and brand recognition among China’s fashion customers. For the first time, we streamed New York Fashion Week across our digital entertainment platforms and e-commerce sites, enabling U.S. designers to reach an audience of 900 million consumers. We were also thrilled to welcome iconic American designer Marc Jacobs to our Tmall Luxury Platform.

In an uncertain time, Alibaba remains committed to helping American businesses reach global markets while satisfying the strong consumer demand for U.S. products. Since April 2020, we launched 170 U.S. brands on our cross-border platform Tmall Global, adding to the thousands of U.S. brands already selling on our marketplaces. We have continued to invest in building our digital capabilities, offering new and innovative tools and strategies to help American brands generate sales, engage with customers, rebuild their businesses and recover.

Our work to help brands and small businesses through this challenging time was recognized by three important awards this month. Fortune named Alibaba the #2 company that is changing the world, just behind a group of the world’s vaccine makers. The World Retail Congress named Alibaba Retailer of the Year along with Walmart. And the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) named Alibaba Retail Innovator of the Year.

Covid-19 has accelerated the need for companies to digitize and look to new markets for continued growth. We are grateful for the chance to work with so many U.S. businesses to do just that.

Sincerely,
Michael Evans, President and Director, Alibaba Group

Nine U.S. Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Selected to Participate in Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival

‍Nearly 100 small and medium-sized U.S. brands applied to participate in Alibaba’s first-ever Go Global Pitch Fest. The winning brands are being fast-tracked to participate in the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival through Tmall Global's Overseas Fulfillment program, which offers greater inventory flexibility and reduces operational and logistics costs.

See the highlights and meet the winners!

It has been estimated that a quarter of every dollar, on average, that a U.S. farmer or rancher earns from the farm is due to exports. It may even be higher for some growers.

Our farmers are highly productive. With utmost respect to farmers everywhere, because I know that a strong work ethic abides in all farmers’ hearts, I don’t think anyone can out-produce the American farmer. We’re proud of that, and we’re proud of being what we’ve sometimes called “the breadbasket of the world.”

With so much of our economic sustainability and pride riding on global markets, U.S. farmers are always looking to expand our access to those markets.

Within the past couple of years, the United States has signed trade agreements with Canada, Mexico, Japan and China. Now, our government’s trade negotiators are working on a deal with India. Several other countries in the region, such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, are of great interest as growing markets.

Trade deals are one way to grow our access to global markets. Another is through technology, and it’s so exciting to see farmers and consumers from around the globe connecting via online services to create, in effect, a global farmers’ market. It’s amazing to think that a farmer can sell directly to customers, through digital platforms like Alibaba’s, both in their local communities and a continent away, something that was practically unheard of when I was a boy working on my family’s dairy farm.

We need greater understanding and appreciation of global trade, so that it can continue to grow. It is vital that the public understands how access to global markets brings the best of the world to our doors and the best of U.S. agriculture to hungry consumers around the world.

Access to global markets is a win-win!

Alibaba’s business ecosystem helps create jobs, grow local economies and support industries in states across the country. On our website, you can learn how companies in your state are benefiting from their partnership with Alibaba. Each month our newsletter will highlight how brands in an individual state work with Alibaba to access global markets. Today we focus on the Empire State.

Opportunities for New York Businesses
Over one hundred New York-based businesses have partnered with Alibaba to access Chinese and global markets and expand their customer base abroad. From big brand names like Coach and Estée Lauder to small businesses like Evereden, a growing number of New York-based companies are utilizing Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms to grow their business.

Kimberley Ho, founder and CEO of New York-based family skincare company Evereden, launched on Tmall Global in November 2018. In the first month, sales exceeded Ho’s expectations after the conversion rate, or frequency with which visitors to the site actually purchase a product, reached 15% to 20%.

In addition to helping U.S. businesses like Evereden grow, Alibaba’s business ecosystem helps create job opportunities and supports industries across the state, boosting the New York state economy.
Learn about other successful American businesses’ partnership with Alibaba in your state.

Last month Alibaba.com hosted its second U.S. Online Trade Show showcasing American food and beverage manufacturers, wholesalers and brands to buyers from around the world. The event featured nearly 40 exhibitors from around the country livestreaming to a global audience of over 1 million business buyers.

Before the pandemic, many of these companies made their most important sales connections through in-person trade shows. By bringing these events online, exhibitors like Elmhurst 1925, a leading nut milk manufacturer based in Elma, NY, showcased their products and met potential business buyers. Event attendees appreciated discovering new, innovative companies all in one experience, and since the show, Elmhurst’s team and many other exhibitors have fielded multiple inquiries from buyers.

U.S. Online Trade Shows Hosted by Alibaba

Alibaba.com U.S. Online Trade Shows are real-time, interactive, curated experiences designed to help buyers and sellers meet online. Join upcoming shows.

• U.S. Beauty & Personal Care: Oct. 13-15
• U.S. Home & Garden: Dec.15-17

Other Events

Oct. 14: NRF Retail Leadership Live Series with Michael Evans

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Alibaba’s mission is “to make it easy to do business anywhere,” and that’s what this newsletter is about. Each edition of this newsletter provides a window into how U.S. businesses are accessing nearly one billion consumers in China and other overseas markets through our digital platforms. By connecting American companies with new consumers and businesses abroad, we help them drive increased global sales, grow communities, create jobs and support dozens of U.S. industries and sectors.

Last year, thousands of U.S. entrepreneurs, farmers, brands, and small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) sold over $40 billion worth of goods to Chinese consumers through our online platforms. And Alibaba.com, our B2B platform, empowers U.S. businesses to sell high-quality goods to 10 million other business enterprises around the world.

Throughout the pandemic, Alibaba has continued to invest in building our digital capabilities, offering new and innovative tools and strategies to help American brands generate sales, engage with customers, rebuild their businesses and recover.

As an example, we recently announced our first “Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest.” We are inviting U.S small and medium-sized brands to register to pitch for the opportunity to sell their products during our 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, which is the world’s biggest online shopping event. Similarly, to provide help to U.S. B2B businesses during the pandemic, we are organizing Alibaba.com Online Trade Shows USA, a series of multi-day, online events that provide U.S. sellers the opportunity to connect with buyers globally.

As tough as 2020 has been for global business, there is a big opportunity for American companies to digitize their businesses, go global, and sell their products to new markets. There is also the opportunity for U.S. small businesses to tap into the nearly $24 trillion global B2B e-commerce market through our platforms. Many already are, and we’re pleased to be able to share some of their success stories with you. For companies who aren’t, we stand ready to help you understand if our online platforms can help you.

Sincerely,
Michael Evans, President and Director, Alibaba Group

The global B2B ecommerce market is estimated to be six times the size of the global business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce market. Alibaba.com is a comprehensive, end-to-end ecommerce platform built for B2B success. Last July, we opened the platform for U.S. sellers to connect with our 10 million active business buyers, and the U.S. has been the fastest growing source of suppliers since.

This year has been a particularly challenging one for businesses, and throughout this crisis, we have continued to invest in our platform – offering new features to help U.S. SMBs find customers and generate sales so they can pivot and persevere through these difficult times. Learn about Alibaba's new tools to help SMBs reach global consumers.

As with the economy as a whole, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented new tests for the retail industry. Reaching customers with a digital strategy powered by e-commerce platforms took on new urgency as many consumers shifted from in-person to online purchasing. At the same time, it is important that businesses do not lose sight of opportunities to reach even wider audiences by expanding global sales.

International e-commerce companies make it possible for retailers to take their business operations global and tap into demand for their products in other countries, especially in Asia. The growing demand from Chinese consumers is tremendous, and it’s important to have e-commerce platforms that lower traditional barriers that prevent companies from accessing the global marketplace, particularly with payments, logistics and marketing. These platforms make it easier for our businesses to sell abroad, compete more efficiently in the global economy and hopefully break their own sales records in the process.

Alibaba is no stranger to this space. In October, on the NRF virtual program the “Retail Leadership Series,” I’m excited to host Michael Evans, President of Alibaba. We’ll be talking about the challenges and opportunities facing retailers today, and specifically how the Alibaba Group’s Tmall and Alibaba.com have created pathways for American retailers to reach consumers in Asia and other parts of the world. Learn more about this virtual event and register here.

Steve Clemons, The Hill’s editor-at-large, convened a discussion on how exports still matter, how the rising middle class around the world is a vital market for American goods and services providers and how during a pandemic, new tech platforms are giving these enterprises a leg up into new global market opportunities. Speakers included Rick Larsen (D-WA); Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Michael Evans, President, Alibaba Group; Karen Horan, Global Business Development, National Confectioners Association; and Josh Ghaim, Co-Founder, Ignite Venture Studio. View the panel session recap.

The “Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest” is a virtual event designed to help more U.S. brands expand their businesses globally. The event will provide an opportunity for selected U.S. small- and medium-sized businesses to test the market in China and participate in Alibaba’s 2020 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the biggest shopping festival in the world with $38.4 billion of gross merchandise value in 24 hours last year. Learn more about the Pitch Fest and how SMBs can enter.

This program explains why the Chinese market is such a big opportunity for U.S. brands and how Alibaba is helping them succeed.

Speakers include:

• Alibaba Group Executive Vice Chairman Joe Tsai and President Michael Evans
• 11.11 participants Magic Johnson, Diane von Furstenberg, and Andy Mooney, CEO of Fender Guitars
• U.S. small businesses new to our 11.11 Global Shopping Festival