This week, as Alibaba’s Double 11 Global Shopping Festival heats up, the impact of 88VIP members on Tmall’s sales is more pronounced than ever. With over 373 brands surpassing 100 million yuan in sales since the event kicked off, the 88VIP member base has boosted cross-category spending, driving notable growth across major industries like beauty, apparel, and electronics. This year, enhanced benefits for 88VIP members, including additional discount vouchers and expanded coupon eligibility, are expected to accelerate brand growth further.
AliExpress, meanwhile, is set for record-breaking Double 11 sales with strong support from cross-border sellers. Preparations are in full swing, with inventory stocking up over 300% since September. To ensure a seamless shopping experience, AliExpress has partnered with Cainiao to upgrade major logistics hubs across North America, Europe, and Asia, enhancing delivery speed and efficiency. AliExpress has also launched new seller support programs, including a “POP + Full Hosting” model, to accommodate flexible operations and meet diverse market needs.
In Southeast Asia, Lazada’s latest report highlights the transformative role of AI in eCommerce. Nearly 90% of consumer purchases are influenced by AI-powered recommendations, though active user engagement with AI tools remains below potential. Lazada has introduced features like the AI Lazzie virtual assistant and virtual try-on to improve user experience. This is a necessary move as competition in the region intensifies among players like Shopee and Tokopedia.
Beyond eCommerce, Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) recently held its first offline event in Africa, collaborating with the Digital Transformation Ethiopia Association (DTEA) to empower local entrepreneurs. Over 300 participants gathered to explore strategies in digitalization, and AGI announced plans to open a training center in Addis Ababa next year. This new center will further AGI’s mission to support digital talent and local entrepreneurship, building on its global reach of over 4,000 trained business leaders.
88VIP Members Drive Exceptional Growth in Tmall’s Double 11 Sales Event
Tmall’s Double 11 sales event began on October 31 at 8 p.m., marking a strong start with over 373 brands surpassing the 100-million-yuan sales threshold. The expanding 88VIP member base, known for high cross-category spending, has significantly boosted brand sales. Since the pre-sale began on October 14, orders by 88VIP members increased by over 60% year-over-year, with average spending per member up by 30% and site visits by 50%.
Driven by this core consumer group, major industries on Taobao and Tmall saw robust growth, especially beauty, apparel, home appliances, and digital electronics, which collectively rose by 8% compared to last year’s initial sales period. Emerging categories like trendy toys, pet supplies, and outdoor sports also gained traction, with Tmall leading in market share across these segments.
88VIP’s impact on top brands is particularly notable this year, with over half of the Double 11 sales for leading brands attributed to these members. For luxury skincare brand La Mer, 88VIP members contributed to over 90% of total sales, with popular items achieving substantial sales figures. Domestic beauty brand Proya also saw impressive results, with 88VIP sales accounting for over 70% of their total sales during the internal sales event.
The 88VIP membership, valued for high spending and brand loyalty, continues to grow, now encompassing over 4,200 million members as of June 2024. This year, 88VIP benefits have been further enhanced with additional discount vouchers, expanded coupon eligibility across Taobao stores, and exclusive installment plans, making the program more attractive for members and further driving brand growth during Double 11.
AliExpress and Cainiao Gear Up for Double 11 with Enhanced Cross-Border Logistics and Merchants’ Stocking Growth
AliExpress, the cross-border e-commerce platform of Alibaba, is seeing a surge in interest from overseas sellers as preparations for the Double 11 event heat up. Seller enthusiasm is high, with inquiries about participating in Double 11 up 65% year-over-year. This year’s event, set to run from November 11 to November 18 (local time zones in key countries), represents the biggest growth opportunity for cross-border sellers.
AliExpress has introduced a “POP + Full Hosting” model to support sellers, allowing for flexible operations. Sellers can self-manage (POP), focusing on new and diverse product categories, or use full hosting for lightweight, standard items that benefit from enhanced shipping speed and competitive pricing. The platform’s investment in marketing and logistics has doubled, with sellers reporting a significant boost in stock readiness. Specific categories, such as electronics, home goods, jewelry, and auto accessories, have seen stock increases by over 8x.
AliExpress is also expanding its offerings, with furniture, home textiles, and large appliances joining the typical lightweight categories for the first time. This year, AliExpress introduced its overseas hosting service to Double 11, allowing sellers to leverage AliExpress’s storage and logistics for faster fulfillment. Since launching, this service has attracted substantial interest, tripling its supply scale compared to the August sale.
To improve shipping efficiency, AliExpress has partnered with Cainiao to upgrade major logistics hubs across North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, reducing processing times and enhancing the delivery experience for overseas shoppers.
Cainiao’s data shows that Double 11 inventory at destination warehouses has grown significantly, promising faster package processing. The company has established country-specific inventory pools to meet local demand and now covers 15 key AliExpress markets across Europe, Asia, and North America.
Notably, Cainiao’s logistics network has optimized global delivery for Double 11, adding close to 300 direct shipping routes within China and upgrading hubs in Hong Kong, Belgium, and core markets like Spain and France, ensuring timely delivery and an improved logistics experience for this year’s event.
AI Drives eCommerce Evolution in Southeast Asia
Lazada’s recent report reveals that AI is reshaping eCommerce in Southeast Asia, influencing nearly 90% of consumer purchases with AI-powered recommendations. Despite 63% awareness of AI tools, less than half of users actively engage with them, suggesting growth potential. Key new features like AI Lazzie, a virtual assistant, along with tools for personalized messaging, virtual try-ons, and AI-generated product summaries, aim to enhance user experience.
Lazada’s AI initiatives come as competition intensifies, with rivals like Shopee and Tokopedia also investing in AI. As eCommerce in the region expands, AI adoption will be critical to meeting rising consumer expectations.
Hundreds of Entrepreneurs Join the First African Event of Alibaba’s Training Arm to Explore Digitalization
Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI), the professional training division of the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), now operating under the Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, hosted its inaugural offline event in Africa on October 29-30 in collaboration with the Digital Transformation Ethiopia Association (DTEA). This event brought together over 300 local entrepreneurs, AGI alumni and strategic partners, marking the first major in-person gathering of the AGI community since the pandemic.
The two-day Alibaba Global Initiatives Reunion Summit commenced with a full day of speeches and presentations focusing on strategies for entrepreneurs to enhance their reach through cross-border e-commerce, adapt to rapid technological advancements, and cultivate a robust digital ecosystem, among other key topics. The following day featured the Alibaba Netpreneur Masterclass, offering participants insights on achieving business success in the digital age. Prior to this session, more than 100 Ethiopian entrepreneurs had already joined the AGI alumni community.
In conjunction with the event, AGI and DTEA announced plans to establish a training center in Addis Ababa next year. This center will offer programs aimed at nurturing local digital talent who can deliver customized training within their communities through AGI’s “Train the Trainer” approach. Dan Liu, Senior Advisor at Alibaba Global Initiatives, shared: “We are thrilled to host our inaugural summit and masterclass in Ethiopia and to establish a physical presence with the launch of a training center here. This milestone underscores our commitment to supporting entrepreneurs in Ethiopia and across Africa on their digitalization journey.”
AGI’s mission is to equip entrepreneurs and business leaders worldwide with tangible knowledge and insights to thrive in the digital economy. To date, the unit has directly trained and graduated more than 4,000 digital entrepreneurs and business leaders from more than 70 countries and regions.
