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.