Alibaba Aims for Chinese Input Software in 2009

According to a company insider, Alibaba Group is working on Chinese-language input software that may be released in 2009, reports Sohu. Now under development by Alibaba's subsidiary Alisoft, the software will include professional terms popularized by Alibaba Group subsidiaries, said the insider. Alibaba public relations refused to comment, the report said.

As experienced by author of B2B-Trade-International Blog, Chinese input softwares are quite famous in China and because of these Pinyin softwares the communication has made possible between Chinese speaking professionals and English speaking people worldwide.

Alibaba to Launch Search Engine in Beijing

HANGZHOU, Aug 07, 2009 (SinoCast Daily Business Beat via COMTEX) Alibaba.com Limited (SEHK: 1688), a business-to-business (B2B) marketplace operator in China, is researching its search engine in Beijing, an insider from the Hangzhou-headquartered e-commerce firm disclosed on August 6, 2009.

According to news the search engine by Alibaba, will focus on B2B and business-to-customer (B2C) search and will not compete head on head with Baidu, Inc. or Google Inc.

In the beginning of this July 2009, Alibaba was rumored to launch its search engine. It was because of the company's relationship with Baidu, guessed industry watchers.

Alibaba gave a shining performance in 2008, as small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) flocked to e-commerce amid the industry recession. Its net profits soared 95% from the previous year to CNY 1.205 billion. Total revenue rose 39% year on year to CNY 3.001 billion. Notably, revenues from its domestic platform amounted to CNY 1.094 billion, hiking 78% year on year.

Alibaba China Adds Social Networking Taojianghu

China's Alibaba Group has started mixing social-networking functions into its leading e-commerce platforms, a move it hopes will convince users to spend more time and money on Alibaba Group Websites.

Alibaba is crafting social-networking platforms specifically to complement two of its core operations. The beta version of a Web site with Facebook-style applications and a Twitter-style feed is being grafted onto Taobao.com, a Alibaba's auction and retail Web site, a spokeswoman said. A more professional platform that the spokeswoman likened to LinkdIn is being added to Alibaba.com, the group's business-to-business e-commerce operation.

The entertainment-based platform for Taobao in particular combines standard social-networking functions with original features that promote online purchases. It goes a step beyond efforts to mix e-commerce and social networking by Western companies like Amazon.com and Facebook, said Benjamin Joffe, CEO of digital strategy and research company +8* (Plus Eight Star).

Western companies could potentially benefit by adding social functions like those on the Taobao platform, but the site is also uniquely suited for China's young Internet user base, he said.

Taobao designed the platform, called Taojianghu, to provide services that relate to online shopping but could also encourage users to form groups around shared interests. A main goal was to build stronger ties among consumers on Taobao, said Mi Fengtao, Taobao's team head for development of Taojianghu.

"Taobao users have many demands outside of making online purchases," he said.

Taobao, like eBay in the U.S., lets users sell items at auction or in online stores, and some of the items most commonly sold include clothing, mobile phones and laptops.

The main page of Taobao's social-networking site presents users with a feed of friends' recent updates and links to games, picture albums, surveys and other applications already common on Facebook and rival Chinese sites. But the site also offers shopping-related applications that let users bookmark items they find on Taobao and ask other users for purchase advice. Users can also post pictures of a number of items they are considering, such as makeup or cameras, and ask friends to vote on which one to buy.

The Taobao platform also rewards frequent users with points that can be turned into coupons for certain purchases from merchants. One way users can earn points is to become an "expert" in a product area, such as iPhones or other gadgets, by writing reviews that other users cite as helpful.

E-commerce, already huge, is ascending rapidly in China. Online shopping transactions were worth 46.7 billion yuan (US$6.8 billion) in China in the first quarter, nearly twice as much as a year earlier, according to iResearch, a Chinese Internet consultancy.

Over three-quarters of that transaction value occurred among consumers on Taobao, according to the iResearch statistics.

Taobao's dominance gives its social-networking platform a sizable user base to draw on. All Taobao users can also access the platform, which has some user activity but that Taobao says it has not begun promoting yet. Taobao reported 120 million registered users at the end of the first quarter, more than one-third of China's total number of people online.

Amazon and Facebook have also looked to combine elements of social networking and e-commerce. Amazon's "Wish List" lets users create and share lists of items they would like to receive as gifts, encouraging shopping on the site. Facebook two years ago attempted to introduce Beacon, an advertising system that shared information about users' activities on e-commerce and other sites. The program came under fire for privacy concerns and Facebook later allowed users to disable it.

Taobao's efforts may have more success, partly because users will enter its social-networking platform knowing that it is based on an e-commerce site, said Joffe, the analyst.

"They don't need to explain too much to their users," said Joffe. "It will feel very natural because commerce is what Taobao is all about in the first place. They are just adding social features to do it better."

The young majority in China's base of Internet users has caused online games, entertainment and instant-messaging applications to grow faster then e-commerce in the country, Joffe said. Taobao is now drawing on those proven products to drive its own expansion. It was the first large e-commerce site to offer instant messaging, and social networking is a natural next step for its expansion, said Joffe.

Nearly two-thirds of China's Internet users are under 30 years old, according to the country's domain registry agency.

Future additions to Taobao's social-networking platform could include ads in applications and links to suggested items in merchant stores, said Mi of Taobao. The site could also aim to attract new users from outside Taobao by offering unrelated services, such as online reservations for movie tickets or karaoke sessions, Mi said. Those users might then migrate to Taobao itself, he said.

Courtesy: PCWorld - Business Center

Alibaba Launches Ad Campaign to Encourage Fresh Entrepreneurs

According to news, Alibaba.com has started a new marketing campaign that includes TV, print and online media as it targets small business owners and entrepreneurs. This campaign has been started with new microsite main for USA audience as success.alibaba.com. Initially, three videos "mocumentaries" greet visitors to the b2b website with entertaining stories of how fresh entrepreneurs used Alibaba.com to find suppliers and manufacturers to help them launch their businesses. Thirty-second television ads are running on CNBC and during ABC's new show, Shark Tank, and print ads are running in magazines including Inc., Fast Company, Women's Wear Daily and Purchasing.com.

Kelly Sang, General Manager of Alibaba.com for United States of America, said the new version of the microsite is designed to deliver an approachable, fun and engaging brand character by featuring more rich media contents with a focus on three key stories, each one telling the story of a character who uses Alibaba.com to "Find It, Make It or Sell It."

Alibaba.com is a B2B marketplace, bringing small businesses and entrepreneurs together with suppliers and manufacturers from around the world. When Ms. Sang from Aliababa was asked about how Alibaba.com came up with the campaign to bring the company's message to a broader audience, She said

"We conducted primary research with small business owners and entrepreneurs nationwide to really get a sense for what they are facing in today's marketplace and how Alibaba.com can help them compete. One of our key takeaways was that they were looking for new resources to help them achieve their goals. They were energized by the idea that they could "be like the big guys" on a global scale via Alibaba.com.

We then set out to create a campaign that would be visually refreshing for the B2B market and better explain who Alibaba.com is and how it can help their business. To do that, we created fictional characters that were indicative of the type of success businesses have created after finding the right partner on Alibaba.com - for pieces and parts, full scale production, or simply buying products directly from manufacturers to resell. Our central theme is just that - find the right partner for your business. We feel that this U.S. Brand expression of Alibaba.com also fits that theme - it's the right fit to meet the needs of modern entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The U.S. branding campaign by Alibaba.com is specifically to target small business owners and fresh entrepreneurs. These audiences have always been very important to us, and we're now taking our commitment to them to the next level with the launch of this campaign."

Alibaba previously has launched several campaigns that have given our members to achieve success. The message to entrepreneurs, Sang said further, is to "draw up your business plan. Lock down your prototype. And get on Alibaba.com to make it happen."

In addition to the character stories, the U.S. microsite of Alibaba.com features expanded training content, including live instructor-led webinars, quick-learn videos, quick tips and links to additional learning resources. An events and partnership page focuses on upcoming Alibaba.com events of interest to U.S. entrepreneurs and partnership deals for site users.

Alibaba Subchannel to Promo Exhibition Hall Shanghai Mart

Alibaba.com (1688.HK) entered a partnership on August 6 2009 to establish a subchannel on its professional market channel for exhibition hall Shanghai Mart. According to news, Alibaba is planning to connect information in the new channel to the TrustPass pages especially of Shanghai Mart clients.

FYI: Shanghai Mart is a year-round offline exhibition hall in Shanghai's Hongqiao special economic zone that provides exhibition, trade and office space to retailers.

China Exports May Rise in Fourth Quarter Says Alibaba

Shanghai on Aug 3, 2009, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba, David Wei showed speculation about the rise of China exports in the fourth quarter.

The operator of China’s biggest trading Web site, Alibaba.com, which helps Chinese businesses find overseas buyers, has seen a “noticeable” recovery in orders, especially from North America, Wei said at a press briefing today. Fourth-quarter exports will either be unchanged or increase “by single digits” from a year earlier, he said.

China’s overseas shipments fell 21.4 percent in June from a year earlier as the global recession cut demand for the shoes, toys and electronics of the world’s second-biggest exporter. The government’s 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) stimulus package helped revive economic growth to 7.9 percent in the second quarter from 6.1 percent in the first.

North America accounts for about 19 percent of Alibaba.com’s overseas users, with almost all of those in the U.S., Wei said today. About 11 percent of users outside of China are in India, 8 percent to 9 percent in the U.K. and about 5.5 percent in Japan, he said.

“We probably have more confidence than even President Obama has for a recovery in the U.S.,” Wei said. Alibaba’s statistics for overseas orders are usually reflected in trade data from China’s customs bureau three to six months later, he said.

Alibaba knew in the second quarter of last year that China’s trade figures for the fourth quarter of 2008 would be “ugly,” Wei said today. Jack Ma, Alibaba’s chairman, sent a memo to the company’s employees warning of an “economic winter” in July of last year.

Alibaba to split its Domestic & International Marketplace Operations

Alibaba Group in August 2009 announced to separate its business divisions. According to news they have split their operations for domestic and international marketplaces.

Alibaba has also setup two divisions to help small & medium size enterprise customers to gain access to information technology and employees trained to handle e-commerce. Alibaba has already announced it agreement with Bank of China to facilitate loans of 6 billion Yuan for small and medium sized enterprises.

Alibaba has also planned to work more closely with its online retail and trading website similar to amazon and eBay, Taobao.com.

According to memo released in late July 2009, Mr. Wei will remain as chief executive and also serve as acting head of the domestic marketplace of Alibaba. Elvis Lee, who was hired as chief operating officer in February 2009, will head the international division.

Also, following the reorganization, the domestic marketplace will develop a sourcing channel for companies selling their goods on Taobao. Taobao will remain an independent company under the parent group, merely stepping up its operational cooperation with Alibaba.com.

Alibaba Seeks to Form Joing Venture firm in India

SHANGHAI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Chief executive David Wei of Alibaba.com said on Monday that they are considering setting up a joint venture company in India to manage its B2B platform, .

Alibaba.com is currently in partnership with India's Infomedia 18, a publishing outsourcing firm, to help Alibaba with customer service and sales and marketing.

Wei also told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference that they are currently talking with them, it will definitely be a joint venture, and Alibaba does not seek to be a controlling stakeholder.

India is Alibaba's second-largest overseas market by member base, with 1 million members.

Alibaba.com also launched on Monday an expansion of its loan programme to help small to medium enterprises in Shanghai, Zhejiang province and Hangzhou city.

The programme, which aims to offer 6 billion yuan ($878.3 million) in loans by the end of 2009, will be run by Alibaba.com and China Construction Bank.

Wei said in a statement that he expects the programme to become available in Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Guangdong province and Jiangsu province by the end of the year.

China Construction Bank, Alibaba.com and the three regional governments will set up a loan reserve pool of 60 million yuan in each region to serve as a guarantee for the loans. The pool will distribute the risk of bad debts evenly among the three parties.

Alibaba and Bank of China partnered via Alipay online payment system

Thursday, 23-July-2009, Alibaba Group announced about its collaboration with Bank of China for expanding its international business development and domestic programs.

Earlier this year, senior Alibaba executives visited Silicon Valley, where they met with market giants includes Google, eBay and Amazon.com in order to discuss discuss about the possible partnerships. Alibaba also showed its interest to bring its C2C website, Taobao and its payment platforms, Alipay to the US market.

Alibaba's deal with the Bank of China will give its online payment service, Alipay, a vital growth as Alibaba will now allow Bank of China customers to make transactions in foreign currency through this platform.

Alipay will also allow Bank of China to offer currency conversion for international trade, which could encourage sales between foreign and Chinese traders. Partnership with Paypal is also under discussion.

Alibaba will also work with Bank of China to expand a loan program for Chinese SMEs. This program is expected to facilitate 6 billion yuan (US$880 million) in loans this year, gives vendors credit ratings based partly on their Alibaba transaction history.