Just a day after eBay China partnered with three major Chinese manufacturers to bring their products to the eBay marketplace, Alibaba.com debuted a new sourcing site meant to introduce U.S. and European consumers to brands already popular in China.
eBay China announced Monday it would partner with professional health care products company Breo and electronics "giants" Kwong Pontus Telecom & Techno Company, and Aigo so they could sell their items on the site. Today, Aliababa.com announced the launch of the AliExpress Premier Channel, a sourcing site that features more than 30 popular Chinese brands like AKseries, DeereMarchi, Dilong, Etonian Kidd, Justmatch, Mbox, rip and VANCL—many of which have been selling on Alibaba.com's Taobao marketplace for years.
"China's best brands already offer sophisticated high-quality products that take advantage of the nation's capabilities in innovative design and well-known strengths in cost-efficient manufacturing," says Annie Xu, general manager of Alibaba.com and AliExpress in the U.S. "Now, with increasing consumer demands for unique, branded products, is the ideal time for U.S. companies to satisfy their local customers with new products that have already been successful in China's growing consumer market. Alibaba.com and AliExpress are the conduits to make this happen."
Many of the brands offered on AliExpress Premier, and those that will be offered on eBay, have been selling online in China for several years. Breo, which used to go by the name Breeze, has more than 10 offline stores throughout China. Kwong Pontus Telecom & Techno Company is a leading maker and exporter of electronics, specializing in cordless phones. Aigo specializes in storage devices, multimedia players and data security, eBay notes.
"Many local brands have become increasingly popular since they launched late last year," says Dandan Cheng, director of eBay China Cross-Border Trade and head of Tech Vertical, APAC CBT. "We are excited to see how rapidly they [will grow] their businesses on eBay, and it's motivating more local brands to engage in [cross-border trade] on eBay."
Products on the AliExpress Premier Channel range from clothing and accessories to housewares. One of the vendors, Mbox, has been in the fashion accessories business since 2002. It's business really took off when it began selling on Taobao in 2005, recording six sales per minute. It became so well known that it was invited to the World Jewelry Facets 2010 exhibition.
Another AliExpress Premier vendor, rip, launched on Taobao in 2006. The company, which offers women's clothing, began as a two-person operation, but now has hundreds of employees and a "loyal following," says rip CEO Tang Xian Fen.
Shoppers can find the new site through the Premier tab on AliExpress, or by going to premier.aliexpress.com.
Alibaba.com notes that all brands on the AliExpress Premier Channel have been carefully selected by the Alibaba.com team to ensure their quality. Officials add that all suppliers on the channel guarantee authenticity of their items, and will ship within 24 hours of receiving orders.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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