This year, Alibaba kicks off its 11.11 Global Shopping Festival with a series of new innovations and features, including the participation of Alipay’s digital lifestyle platform; broader consumer reach and bigger promotions; “double” the number of shopping windows that will spotlight more brands, products and special offers; as well as the popular live streaming technology creating more fun and engagement for Chinese consumers with the largest international presence to date.
Double Shopping Windows
This year the Festival expands the concept from “single” to “double,” enabling merchants to double up on promoting their products to consumers across China not just once, but twice. A new sales window will be added from November 1 to 3, ahead of the main event on November 11, with the aim of providing merchants, specifically new brands and small businesses, the opportunity to showcase their products and tell their brand stories amid the pandemic.
Alipay’s Digital Lifestyle Platform
This year’s 11.11 experience will also be enhanced by Alipay’s digital lifestyle platform, which brings together nearly 2 million local service providers offering special promotions in more than 100 cities. Offline small- and micro-merchants across China, such as street stalls and neighborhood grocery stores, will be able to participate in the excitement of 11.11 by connecting with consumers through Alipay’s digital lifestyle platform.
More Participating Brands and Bigger promotions
This year’s Festival will feature 14 million value-for-money products from more than 250,000 brands available on Tmall. Also, to cater for the needs of customers in lower-tier cities, Taobao Deals’ “RMB1 Sales” campaign will enable consumers to purchase goods at huge discounts with free shipping. Tmall Global will also bring more than 2,600 new overseas brands to Chinese consumers for the first time. Alibaba’s cross- border e-commerce platform Kaola will also join 11.11 for the first time, featuring products from 89 countries and regions.
Live streaming and Logistics
Livestreaming is expected to take the center stage of this year’s 11.11. In addition to sessions hosted by top livestreamers, about 400 company executives and 300 celebrities will also hold individual livestreaming sessions. Taobao Live will offer sessions ranging from cosmetics, electronics, to cars and houses. New features like online property viewings and virtual vehicle test drives will provide more realistic and engaging experience to help consumers with their buying decisions. Alibaba’s DAMO Academy will use artificial intelligence technology to create its first virtual livestreaming host, while Fliggy will host travel-related livestreams.
Alibaba’s robust technology and logistics infrastructure is the backbone of the 11.11 Shopping Festival. Cainiao will charter approximately 700 flights during 11.11. More than 50% of this year’s cross-border parcels are expected to be delivered twice as fast as its usual speed.
This year’s event will have the largest international presence since it was founded in 2009. AliExpress now sells to more than 200 countries and regions worldwide. Lazada was the first to bring the shopping festival concept to Southeast Asia across six markets – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Shopping festivals such as 11.11 has also become one of the key industry growth drivers as local small-and-medium businesses participatein this biggest event alongside LazMall, the region’s largest online mall with more than 18,000 local and international brands. This year Lazada will continue its “shoppertainment” features ranging from livestreaming to new consumer games and innovations such as voice search to find items.
For the latest news and updates on Alibaba 11.11 Global Shopping Festival 2020, visit www.alizila.com.
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