Alibaba Group is stepping up its commitment to helping New Zealand brands and retailers enter the Chinese market by announcing the inaugural Alibaba E-Commerce Expo in Auckland and the addition of a local and dedicated team based in New Zealand.
The Alibaba E-Commerce Expo will run at ASB Showgrounds from 14 to 15 June 2019 and feature a number of high profile guest speakers from across the China e-commerce industry. More than 100 Kiwi brands are confirmed to exhibit including Fonterra, Unichem, Whittakers, Antipodes and more.
The Expo format has had proven success in Australia with Sydney and Melbourne 2018 events featuring over 300 exhibiting brands and service providers and a total footfall of over 21,000 attendees.
Exhibitors at the inaugural New Zealand Expo will gain direct access to Alibaba buyers and merchandisers, the broader Chinese community, and have an opportunity to establish and expand their network with China market practitioners including business executives, leading experts, influencers and key opinion leaders. Attendees will also have an opportunity to experience first-hand ‘New Retail’ technology taking shape in China.
Maggie Zhou, Regional General Manager for Alibaba Group in Australia and New Zealand, says the Expo strives to connect both small and large businesses with the growing Chinese market. “Quality imports are in high demand by Chinese middle-class consumers, which is expected to reach 850 million by 2030, up from around 300 million today according to projections,” she says. “New Zealand is very important to Alibaba Group. Kiwi produce and products are incredibly sort after in China due to their ‘clean and green’ image and Alibaba strives to enable New Zealand businesses to explore new opportunities.”
Zhou also went on to announce the addition of a dedicated New Zealand team. “Also this year, Alibaba Group will have a stronger presence locally with a dedicated team based in Auckland led by Country Manager Pier Smulders. The focus of this team is to help enable local brands, retailers and producers to successfully connect with Chinese consumers and inbound visitors to New Zealand. This is an exciting milestone in Alibaba Group’s continued mission to make it easy for Kiwis to do business anywhere.”
The Auckland Expo is expected to attract thousands of buyers, merchandisers, consumers, brand representatives, and industry leaders within the Alibaba ecosystem and from across the Chinese community.
On Friday June 14, businesses exhibiting at Auckland’s Alibaba E-Commerce Expo will attend a training and education conference for merchants and brands to better understand how to access the Chinese market via Alibaba’s ecosystem through case studies from successful Kiwi brands. Additionally, exhibitors will also have the opportunity to learn from inspirational speakers who will further share their insights alongside case studies with one complimentary pass being offered to each exhibitor to attend the Alibaba eCommerce Conference.
