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This week, Alibaba Group’s online marketplace Taobao revealed that tens of millions of Chinese esports players and fans are using the platform to shop for gear.

In other news, domestic and overseas travel bookings on the group’s traveling platform Fliggy jumped as eager tourists prepare for next month’s Labor Day holiday.

And math-letes, get practicing! The Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition launched its application process this week and accepts entries worldwide.

Millions of Chinese Esports Enthusiasts Flock to Taobao 

Around 100 million virtual sports players and gamers, part of a growing category known as esports, shop for their gear on consumer-to-consumer digital marketplace Taobao, the platform shared this week.

China’s professional gaming industry includes many young and female players. Around 30 million Chinese consumers active in esports were born after 2000, and 40% of all professional gamers in the country are female, according to Taobao.

They buy computer and phone cooling systems, ambient lighting and projectors to update their immersive gaming experience at home. Popular esports purchases include speakers, headphones, keyboards, and massage chairs.

China’s esports industry is worth roughly RMB140 billion ($20 billion), according to report published this week by Alibaba’s e-commerce site Tmall, and the sport will be an official event at this year’s Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. 

Chinese Tourists Ready for Outbound Travels in Labor Day Holiday

Would-be holiday-makers are planning trips for next month’s five-day Labor Day holiday in China. 

The number of domestic hotel bookings scheduled during the holiday has increased year-on-year by 350%, data from Fliggy shows.

Travel bookings also rose to international destinations, and tickets for accommodations and trips to Hong Kong, Macau, Okinawa and many Mediterranean nations over the holiday are mostly sold out on the platform. 

Visa-related searches on Fliggy increased by 886% last week compared with the same period a year earlier, with Japan, Thailand, the U.S., and Malaysia among the hottest destinations.

Alibaba Calls for Entries To 2023 Global Maths Competition 

Registration for the 2023 iteration of the annual Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition is available on the Damo Academy website this week.

The tournament is divided into two rounds, the preliminary round will be administered online in an open-book style and the finals will determine the winner.

Now in its fifth year, the competition’s top prize is RMB4 million. It attracts participants from all over the globe, over the past few years, over 200,000 math aficionados have participated in the game. 

AliExpress Tops App Download Charts in Korea

AliExpress became the most-downloaded mobile shopping application in South Korea this week after launching its speedy cross-border Choice service on March 9.

The international e-commerce platform offers Korean consumers delivery within five days as well as free shipping and free returns.

Alibaba is facilitating greater cross-border trade between China and Korea. Last year, its logistics service Cainiao partnered with two Seoul-based duty-free companies to help them reach consumers on the mainland.

Justin Bieber’s Fashion Label Drew House Launches on Alibaba’s Tmall

Justin Bieber is making a splash in China. The Canadian singer’s own fashion line Drew House launched this week on Tmall.

Superstar Bieber is often photographed sporting Drew House creations at celebrity events worldwide.

The first batch of Drew House products on Tmall, such as short-sleeved T-shirts and hoodies with the smiley-face logo, have been flying off Tmall’s virtual shelves.

The inventory of more than 1,000 products was sold out in 1 second, and the price was between RMB400 and RMB2,000.

Read more here

Chinese Consumer Electronics Brands Ride Wave of Lifestyle Upgrades

A whitepaper published this week by B2C digital marketplace Tmall and consulting firm Ernst & Young found that Chinese consumers favor brands with products that can be used in various living scenarios.

“Retailers can optimize their supply chain and operations by using the insights we supply as a barometer,” said Peng Yanping, senior manager of the consumer electronics category at Tmall and Taobao.

The consumer electronics industry in China was valued at RMB1.86 trillion ($270.94 billion) in 2022, up 2.96% from the previous year, according to the whitepaper. It is on track to hit nearly RMB2 trillion this year.

Read more about growth opportunities in this sector now

Ballet Brand Repetto Leaps Into China Market

Laurence Levy, CEO of French ballet shoe company Repetto, has made growth in China a top priority for 2023.

She sees travelers from the world’s second-largest economy as a golden opportunity to build brand awareness, and upped the ante in February last year by launching an online store on Tmall.

“By doing an excellent job in communicating our French luxury heritage to Chinese tourists coming to our flagship store, we can create a halo effect for our activities in China,” she said in an interview with Alizila.

Read more about the brand’s strategy now