Alibaba’s mission has always been to make it easy to do business anywhere, and as the pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S., this mission has never been more important. In 2020 alone, we helped many overseas brands rethink their e-commerce strategy by tapping into the massive China consumer market. Demand for imported goods in China hasn’t slowed during this period; it has simply shifted online.

We are accelerating our efforts to bring new U.S. companies onto our marketplaces, helping our existing clients digitize their offline retail stores in China, and innovating to help brands and small businesses engage consumers in new ways.

Here are a few examples:

• Fender, the Scottsdale, AZ company known for its guitars, not only survived but thrived during the pandemic because of its strong e-commerce infrastructure on Alibaba that allowed it to swiftly shift its business to the digital sphere enabling the company to report record 2020 financial results.
• Radha Beauty, the Ohio-based skincare brand, rapidly expanded its digital footprint with the launch of its first online store in China via Tmall Global. The digital store allowed Radha to continue connecting with consumers who increasingly turned to the internet to get their beauty products during the pandemic.
• Allbirds, the San Francisco–based footwear company, 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.

As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, Alibaba remains committed to helping American businesses reach global markets to satisfy the strong Chinese consumer demand for U.S. products.

On January 19th, we held our first-ever virtual Tmall Global summit, and more than 200 U.S. brands tuned in to learn about the China opportunity. And next month, our B2B marketplace business Alibaba.com will host its first-ever U.S. trade show to promote the U.S. sellers on the platform and help them connect with buyers around the world.

We are proud of our work and look forward to continuing to partner with American businesses to build on last year’s successes and emerge even stronger in 2021.

Sincerely,
Michael Evans, President and Director, Alibaba Group