AliExpress, the “international version of Taobao”, was officially launched in April 2010. It is Alibaba’s online trading platform for the global market and has now become the world’s third largest English-language online shopping website.
The reason why it is called the “International Taobao” is because AliExpress’s model is the same as Taobao’s, which compiles various products into online information and publishes them through this platform. to various overseas countries and regions. After overseas buyers place an order, merchants on the platform will transport the goods to the buyers via international express delivery. This makes it easy to conclude transactions with consumers in many countries and regions around the world.
However, many countries have implemented restrictions or prohibitions on cross-border online shopping in order to provide their own e-commerce companies with a relaxed market environment. Countries that have already implemented relevant policies include Russia, Argentina, etc. .
Since its launch in 2010, AliExpress has continued to develop rapidly and now covers more than 220 countries and regions around the world, with daily visits exceeding 50,000. Able to reach 100 million, it is already second to none among cross-border trading platforms worldwide.
In the 2014 “Double Eleven” shopping carnival, AliExpress completed 6.8 million orders that day, with buyers mostly located in Russia, Brazil, Israel, Spain, Belarus, the United States, Canada, and Ukraine. , France, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, etc.; In 2015, also on “Double Eleven”, AliExpress completed 21.24 million orders. According to relevant data, on that day, except China, one in 100 people in the world visited On AliExpress, the top 10 countries with the highest transaction volume are Russia, Spain, the United States, Israel, Ukraine, Belarus, France, Chile, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
◆Development Status
As early as August 2013, AliExpress was involved in more than 220 countries and regions, and its industries covered clothing, apparel, 30 first-level industry categories such as home furnishings and accessories. The number of visits from overseas consumers has already exceeded 50 million per day, and the annual growth rate of transaction volume has also maintained a steady increase.
◆Industry Distribution
AliExpress operates in 30 first-level categories alone, including clothing, home furnishing, 3C, accessories and other industries. Among them, clothing, shoes and bags, electronics, mobile communications, jewelry and watches, computer networks, home furnishings, beauty and health, automobiles, lamps, motorcycle accessories, etc. are the advantages of this platform.
◆Scope of application.
After all, AliExpress is a cross-border online trading platform, so the products listed on this platform must meet the basic conditions for online sales, and the specific conditions include the following Four points:
★The size of the product should be “small”. Cross-border transactions require a certain amount of international logistics costs. If the volume of the goods is small, it will not only facilitate express transportation, but also reduce logistics costs.
★The product must have a certain added value. If the value of the goods is less than the shipping cost, selling individual items will not be worth the loss, and selling in packages is a good solution.
★The product must have certain characteristics. Only products with their own characteristics can attract consumers’ attention and stimulate their purchases.
★The product price must be reasonable. If the price of the goods is higher than the market price in the consumer’s location, then the consumer will not choose cross-border online transactions.
Currently, the basic products sold on this platform include clothing, shoes and bags, electronics, mobile communications, jewelry and watches, computer networks, home furnishings, jewelry, handicrafts, beauty and health, cars, lamps, motorcycle accessories, etc. can satisfy the above conditions.
◆AliExpress Sellers
Alibaba has developed a mobile office software for AliExpress sellers – AliExpress Seller, and its convenient functions provide a wide range of sellers. Convenient, its main functions are as follows:
★You can log in to the AliExpress website through this software, view and reply to messages on the site, so that sellers can reply to buyers’ messages at any time without having to stay by the computer, even when they are out. Don’t worry about missing information.
★With the international version of Want Want function, sellers can communicate with buyers anytime and anywhere.
★System information reminder, sellers can check various messages more conveniently and timely.
◆Transnational Express
On this platform, there are three types of logistics services: one is postal and large packages; the other is platform cooperation logistics; the third is commercial express. Among them, the vast majority of transactions use postal parcel logistics services.
★The main feature of the first type of logistics service is its low cost. For example, if the weight of the product is 500 grams, it only costs 30 to 40 yuan to send to Russia. However, the shortcomings of this type of service are also very obvious. Not only is the timeliness relatively slow, but there is also packet loss. Therefore, if sellers want to use this service, it is best to communicate with buyers in advance.
★The second type of logistics service is not only economical and affordable, but also cost-effective and more suitable for online retail transactions. It is jointly launched by this platform and Zhejiang Post and China Post.
★The third type of logistics service is characterized by being professional and efficient, but the price is relatively high. If the value of the goods is high or the buyer’s requirements are high, you can use this type of service.
The delivery method is also selective. Sellers can choose different delivery methods according to different logistics services. They can either deliver goods online or contact a freight forwarding company to collect goods at their doorstep.