Alibaba accepting product pitches from U.S. SMBs

Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global e-commerce platform is trying to help open the Chinese market to small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the U.S.

Tmall Global is launching the Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest, a virtual event that gives U.S. SMBs a chance to participate in the Alibaba’s 2020 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. The festival, popularly known as “Singles Day,” is based on a holiday created by Chinese college students in the 1990s and was introduced as an online sales event by Alibaba in 2009. The 2019 edition broke records with an estimated $38.4 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV).

The Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest accepts applications from U.S. SMBs that are e-commerce-ready. Product categories of prospective participants cover all major retail verticals, including apparel and accessories, beauty and personal care, electronics, home, food and beverage, health and wellness, baby and maternity, toys, and pet products. The deadline for submission is Sept. 4, 2020, and the Pitch Fest will take place virtually on Sept. 15, 2020.

Eligible U.S. SMBs can register to pitch their products to a panel of industry experts to receive advice on how to grow their business globally and in China. Selected entrants will be fast-tracked and launched on Tmall Global through its Overseas Fulfillment program. Brands that are selected to participate in the 2020 11.11 Festival will get hands-on advice from Tmall Global, and their products will be featured on the marketplace during the shopping festival. 

U.S. SMBs that participate in the Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest will be able to use Tmall Global’s Overseas Fulfillment program, a solution designed to offer greater inventory flexibility and reduce operational and logistics costs. Tmall Global will provide marketing advice and tools to boost brand awareness. Analytics generated from Tmall, such as sales performance and consumer preferences, will be made available to help SMBs develop their long-term China and global strategy. 

“U.S. small and medium-sized businesses are facing challenges during this unprecedented time, but we know they are resilient and looking for growth opportunities,” said Tony Shan, head of Tmall Global for the Americas. “We hope to inspire and enable many small and medium-sized U.S. brands to grow their business and broaden their customer base, while also bringing more high-quality American products to consumers in China.”