Alipay Joins Maru Japan

Alibaba Group's online payment tool Alipay began providing payment services for the Chinese language online store of Japanese department store Marui Co. Ltd. (maruione.jp/cn/) on June 15, reports China.com. The Chinese site is offering free delivery for orders placed between June 15-30 and a 1,000-yen coupon for those who register during the period.

Vietnam, Alibaba Group sign e-commerce deal

The Vietnam Industry, Vietnam Trade Information Center and Alibaba Group, the world’s largest e-commerce company, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on organizing and developing e-commerce in Vietnam.

As per the agreement, the goods manufacturers & suppliers in Vietnam will be registered on Alibaba.com for more business opportunities from around the world.

Vietnamese companies can also apply for special “Gold Supplier” recognition for better exposure on the b2b website.

Representatives of the Vietnam Industry and Trade Information Center under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said the project would help businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, access the international market more easily and effectively.

Ali Wang Wang - Alibaba IM Tool Enters Online Ad Market

"Ali Wang Wang," the instant messaging (IM) tool of Alibaba Group's software subsidiary Alisoft, announced Tuesday June 9 that it has entered the online ad market by launching a platform that will target IM users with customized advertising, reports Sina. An Alisoft representative denied speculation that it is developing a new profit model through advertising. In the past, Alisoft was cautious about online ads and user experience; now, however, IM users and client requests have reached a sufficient amount, said a related employee.

Ali Wang Wang had recorded 130 million users and more than 70 million monthly active users by late May, according to Alisoft statistics. The IM tool had more than 100 million registered users in December 2008.

P&G to Open First Online China Store on Taobao Mall

Procter & Gamble (P&G) (NYSE:PG) kicked off its first online marketing trial in China with the opening of an online store on Taobao Mall, a business-to-consumer service of Alibaba's consumer-focused e-commerce site Taobao.com, reports Beijing Business Today.

The store sells daily necessities like shampoos, lotions and shavers for 20-30% below market price, said the report. P&G previously marketed its products online in South Korea, said the report.

Jack Ma Gives Students 100 Shares of Alibaba.com in Alibaba Annaul Meeting

Hong Kong – May 7, 2009 – At most annual meetings, the chairman gives out stock advice but today Jack Ma of Alibaba.com surprised 80 business school students with a gift of 100 shares. The students from Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong were invited to attend Alibaba.com’s second annual general meeting along with 300 shareholders, customers and other guests.

Ma, a former English teacher who founded Alibaba Group a decade ago, told the students he hoped the gift would give them a strong personal incentive to follow not just the performance of Alibaba.com, but also deepen their interest in business and entrepreneurship. The shares came from Alibaba Group and are tradable stock of Alibaba.com.

On Wednesday, Alibaba.com said revenue for the first quarter rose 19 percent to RMB807 million from RMB680 million a year earlier. The company’s total number of Chinese exporter customers jumped 96% year on year to 55,810 on the introduction of its new entry-level product Gold Supplier Starter Pack and registered users topped 40 million.

Global Sources to participate with Pacific Brands in Private Sourcing Event

Jun 01, 2009 - Global Sources (Nasdaq:GSOL), a business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with Greater China, has announced that Pacific Brands (Australia:PBG), Australia based marketer and importer of consumer goods, met pre-screened mainland China suppliers at the company's Custom Private Sourcing Event in Xiamen held on 19 May 2009. Private Sourcing Events are part of the company's portfolio of brands for sourcing and product information services, which include Global Sources Online, China Sourcing Fairs and Global Sources monthly magazines.

Pacific Brands, which represents brands in Australia, including Berlei, Bonds, Clarks (children's), Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Mooks, Mossimo, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker, Tontine and Yakka, had sales of over USD1.63bn in 2008.

According to Adrian Barratt, general manager of Pacific Brands (Asia), the sourcing event was useful as the company was able to meet suppliers with different backgrounds in an organised manner, and this supported its sourcing strategy.

With the participation in the Private Sourcing event, Pacific Brands has reportedly opened trade opportunities to suppliers of baby wear, work wear and men's and women's underwear.

Global Sources said that over 100 Private Sourcing Events are planned for 2009, with buyers including Carrefour, Tesco (LSE:TSCO), Metro and The Home Depot (NYSE:HD) scheduled to participate.

All Private Sourcing Events are complimentary for buyers and only Global Sources suppliers are eligible to participate.

Global Sources to Expand Dubai Shows in 2009

Global Sources expands 2009 Dubai shows 40% to include Greater China manufacturers of gifts, premiums, home products, electronics and fashion accessories DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 21

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 21 - Global Sources (Nasdaq: GSOL) announced that its four upcoming China Sourcing Fairs in Dubai have sold out, growing 40% this year to reach over 1,100 booths. The China Sourcing Fairs: Electronics, Fashion Accessories, Gifts & Premiums, and Home Products will feature manufacturers from Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). The events will be held June 14 - 16, 2009, at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Alibaba.com Partners on Turkish Logo Group

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Alibaba.com Ltd. (1688.HK) said Wednesday it formed a strategic alliance with Turkish software developer Logo Group, which will help it expand in Turkey.

As part of the agreement, Logo will help Alibaba.com build its brand in Turkey and become a reseller of Alibaba.com product Gold Supplier international. Logo-operated corporate social networking site Diyalogo will also co-promote Alibaba.com to its users.

Alibaba.com already has about 200,000 registered users in Turkey. It said its user base in Turkey grew nearly 75% in the last 12 months. Alibaba.com also intends to extend its Gold Supplier membership to suppliers in Turkey in July and, for a limited time, upgrade existing Turkey-based International TrustPass members to Gold Supplier international service for free.

The company said Turkey is an attractive market for online business-to-business services because of its growing domestic market of 70 million people, its large manufacturing sector and an Internet population estimated at 30 million.

Logo's flagship company has 150,000 customers and 1 million active users, most of which are local small and medium-sized enterprises.

Alibaba.com to turn Alipay into International Online Payment Platform

May 11, 2009 (China Knowledge) - China's Alibaba.com Ltd <1688>, the world's largest online B2B marketplace, plans to team up with HSBC Holdings plc and Citibank A.S. as it aims to turn its Alipay unit into an international online payment platform, sources reported. The company will allow account holders of the two global lenders to pay and transfer funds online via Alipay platform.

Alibaba to Invest $12M in Mobile Software - Rumor

According to an unnamed insider, Alibaba Group has agreed to invest $12 million in Guangzhou-based mobile browser developer UCWeb to build a mobile Internet e-commerce company, reports ChinaByte. A UCWeb marketing department employee said the company has heard of the rumor, but that the rumor had not yet received confirmation from company management, reports DoNews. The employee said the company will announce details if there are further developments. Alibaba has not confirmed the news, said the report.

Alibaba recently issued an internal document announcing the establishment of a fund management company that will be led by Libra Capital founder and former CEO Xiong Xiong to target the secondary market.

Alibaba's online payment tool Alipay confirmed May 4 that the company will begin promoting mobile payment services this year, according to a Sina report.

Tradekey Launched “Buy Now” Feature

Tradekey, a famous B2B marketplace, has just launched Buy Now feature on its official website, Tradekey.com. The feature seems to facilitate buyers to buy directly from the sellers. Unlike, DHGate & Alibaba’s Super Deals, Tradekey.com is not offering ESCROW services right now.

They are simply displaying products information along with the price per quantity suggested by the seller, shipping methods and a couple of product images. The Buy Now feature on tradekey.com seems to be in testing level. A couple of sellers have been selected for pilot project.

How “Buy Now” works on Tradekey.com?

When a buyer clicks on “buy now” button, it takes him to product detail page where buyer can view more information about the product and can enter the desired quantity. The quantity shouldn’t be less than the minimum quantity mentioned by seller. Fill in the desired contact information and click “Buy Now” to proceed to the next step. Unlike DHGate, Tradekey doesn’t display many details about the product. Buyer will have to contact seller, for further information.

On this step two emails are generated from Tradekey.com, 1 for the buyer as acknowledgment and the other to the seller. Here the actual communication between the seller & the buyer starts.
On “Thank you” page, Paypal link of the seller’s Paypal account is displayed. Tradekey so far is not taking any responsibility of the payments or the products. Buyer pays directly to sellers.

So far no information has been received from Tradekey.com about “Buy Now” feature. The success of this feature can be determined if more sellers are opt into this feature and Tradekey continues to deliver the services.

New look of B2B-Trade-International Blog

Hello All,

B2B-Trade-International is now in all new look and feel. Do let me know about your thoughts.

Why did B2B Trade International change its look?

I know the nature of my blog, its quite boring. I always seek ways to add something to keep the interest of valued readers. I hope you guys will find this new look a little more energizing and dynamic. Do let me know if there are some better templates available online.

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Alibaba, Guangdong Hold Online Merchant Trade Fair

Hangzhou-based e-commerce company Alibaba Group will join the Guangdong provincial and Guangzhou municipal governments to hold China's first online merchant trade fair on May 16, reports 163.com. The event operator said 1,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will participate in the fair, with 30,000 Taobao, Alibaba Group's consumer-focus e-commerce site, sellers in attendance to purchase goods from the SMEs. Twenty thousand companies that accept online payment service from Alibaba Group's Alipay will also be in attendance, said the operator.

Fifty thousand people, including 30,000 college graduates, are expected to seek jobs and business opportunities during the event at which high-ranking Taobao sellers will recruit 2,000 customer service representatives, the report said.

Alibaba's "Japan Express" is Now Available

Alibaba.com Japan, a joint venture between business-to-business e-commerce company Alibaba.com (1688.HK) and Softbank Corp, officially launched its new paid product, "Ali Zhong Ri Tong" ("Ali's China-Japan Express") on April 17, reports eNet.com.cn. Local partnerships have put nearly 100,000 products on the Alibaba.com Japan site, said Alibaba.com Japan Chief Operating Officer Sun Jiong. Chinese imports of Japanese products reached $14.7 billion in first two months of 2009 and rose 7.3% month-on-month to $9.48 billion in March, said the report.

Alibaba.com Japan released a trial version of the "Express" product on April 9.

Alibaba VP, Taobao Search Chief Resigns

Yvonne Chang told Sina on April 23 that she would resign as Alibaba Group vice president and head of the search center at Alibaba's consumer-focused e-commerce site Taobao.com in mid-May after taking leave starting at the beginning of the month. In an internal email reprinted by Sina, Taobao President Jonathan Lu said Chang would leave the company on April 30 for personal reasons. Chang told Sina she made the decision to resign more than a month ago, while Lu indicated that she would eventually return to the company.

According to another Sina report, Taobao's head of advertising and senior researcher for Alibaba Group, Wu Yongming, will assume Chang's post at the search center.

Chang told Sina that the majority of Taobao's revenue comes from pay-for-performance (P4P) search products. In the internal email, Lu said monthly sales revenue from Taobao's P4P products exceeded RMB 1 million in September 2008.

Lu said in the email that Chang organized a team of more than 60 members to optimize Taobao search within six months after the company's merger with Alibaba's online advertising exchange platform Alimama.com, which occurred in September 2008. Chang joined Taobao in January 2008 after having served as vice president of China Yahoo's search business, according to Sina.