KARACHI – Alibaba.com, the global B2B e-commerce platform of Alibaba Group, held an online summit yesterday for SMEsin Pakistan to help them usher in a period of economic development and foreign trade exports growth as the Covid-19 pandemic stabilizes in the country.
More than 2000 export-focused businesses from Pakistan joined the “Seize the Chance” Alibaba.com Seller Online Summitduring which Alibaba.com presented a comprehensive B2B export digital solution while elaborating on the use of online trade shows, buyer trends and showcasing local success stories of Pakistan-based merchants who have leveraged Alibaba.com to boost their business globally. There was a special sharing session about apparel export trends and policies of the Government by Mr. Rana Naseer, President of theApparel and Sportswear Association who said, “E-commerce business is the trend and it’s important to follow it now.”
Mr. StephenKuo – Head of Asia Pacific, Alibaba.com, shared someinsights about local SMEs and global buyer trends. He also showcased solutions for SMEs in Pakistan to accelerate their digital transformation and find a long-term sustainable business. Mr. Charles Rogers, Expert inUser Experience Design of Alibaba.com spoke about the buyer mindset and what Pakistani SMEs can do to satisfy buyer’s demand. Ms. Judy Ke, an Alibaba.com Certified Lecturer elaborated on how local SMEs can leverage online trade shows.
In line with Alibaba Group Chairman Daniel Zhang’s address earlier this year about SMEs being the livelihood of an economy, Alibaba.com,one of the world’s leading B2B e-commerce platforms, is taking steps to help SMEs recover from theeconomic situation. Mr. StephenKuo,Head of Asia Pacific, Alibaba.com said, “We want to help more and more SMEs go global.We believe that digital transformation is the need of the hour and we aim to providevariouskinds of tools to enable suppliers to digitalize their products and also promotions and services to be discovered by global buyers. We are also focussing on online trade shows to ensure buyers can find suppliers through videos, live meetings and newly launched livestreams to create minimal disruption to businesswhile also building sustainability.”
A recent survey on Alibaba.com showed that most global buyers are searching for products through search engines or e-commerce platforms. With traditional brick-and-mortar businessesfacingchallenges during the global pandemic, Alibaba.com is leveraging the power of e-commerce to enable SMEs all over the world.
At this summit, Mr. Tayyab Ul Murtaza, CEO of Proelite International, shared his company’s story. They started out as a small apparel manufacturing unit catering primarily to domestic buyers.He then discovered Alibaba.com and realised the potential of digital transformation to cater to buyers worldwide. Muhammad Naeem, CEO of Shamraz Sports based in Sialkot, Pakistan spoke about how going digital helped them to quickly adapt during the pandemic and create sustainability for their business. He shared how a proactive approach towards digitalization, especially with Alibaba.com, helped them not just survive but actually grow during the pandemic.
About Alibaba.comThe first business of Alibaba Group, Alibaba.com (www.alibaba.com) is China’s largest integrated international online wholesale marketplace in 2019 by revenue, according to Analysys. It connects Chinese and overseas suppliers to overseas wholesale buyers, who are typically trade agents, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and SMEs engaged in the import and export business, and provides sourcing, online transaction, digital marketing, digital supply chain fulfilment and financial services to them. In the 12 months ended March 31, 2020, over 20 million buyers from approximately 190 countries had sourced business opportunities or completed transactions on Alibaba.com.
