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Taylor Swift fans, this one’s for you: Alibaba Pictures is distributing the hit-maker’s recent concert film in China.
In other news, Alibaba.com said an online showcase of French brands was open for business on its platform, part of a larger effort to digitalize small businesses across the country.
And get ready to cheer for your favorite team, because the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 are coming. Looking for some memorabilia to commemorate the occasion? AliExpress is your destination as the official online store of the game.
Alibaba Pictures Brings Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie to China
Film production company Alibaba Pictures was confirmed as the sub-distributor for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie, bringing the concert film to audiences across China.
The nearly three-hour musical extravaganza combines footage from three concerts last summer in California and includes songs from across Swift’s 10-album discography.
The Eras Tour movie set a box office record for the highest-grossing concert film, with over $261 million earned worldwide so far, according to lead distributor AMC Theatres Distribution.
It opened in cinemas across China on Dec. 31, 2023.
The film was also nominated for the inaugural Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award at the 2024 Golden Globes this week, but lost out to box-office hit Barbie.
Alibaba.com’s Showroom France Opens For Business
Business-to-business platform Alibaba.com inaugurated an online pavilion showcasing French companies on Wednesday in partnership with government agency Business France.
The tie-up is part of a broader drive by the French government to double the number of exporting companies in the country between 2023 and 2030. Less than half (42%) of French companies operate on digital marketplaces like Alibaba.com compared to the continent’s 61% average, a study conducted last year by the platform found.
Many small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at a particular disadvantage in this arena as they face the twin challenges of digital transformation and internationalization.
“SMEs often remain constrained by limited resources and find it difficult to…expand their sales and procurement activities internationally. The launch of the France Showroom on the Alibaba.com platform fully meets this need for support,” said Michelle Lau, Managing Director France of Alibaba.com, in a statement.
In addition to the digital pavilion, an agreement between Alibaba.com and Business France will give 200 French businesses a two-year premium subscription to the platform. This includes more advertising options on Alibaba.com, personalized support for brands and a special marketing budget.
AliExpress Unveils Official Online Store For Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024
Cross-border online marketplace AliExpress cut the ribbon on the Gangwon 2024 Licensed Merchandise Online Store ahead of the start of this year’s Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 19.
As the official e-commerce services partner for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024, AliExpress will keep the store’s virtual shelves stocked with memorabilia, including clothing, plush toys, stationary and accessories.
“Just like the values and spirit of the Olympics, we hope to continue fostering sustainable growth not only in business but also alongside various companies and organisations in the Republic of Korea,” said Ray Zhang, General Manager of AliExpress, South Korea, in a statement.
Alibaba Group has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since 2017.
Its cloud computing business unit Alibaba Cloud brought the backend of the Olympics’ broadcasting services to the cloud ahead of Tokyo 2020, and last year its Turkish-based retailer Trendyol became an International Olympic Committee e-commerce services partner.
Euromonitor’s 2024 Outlook For E-commerce in China
In this episode of Alicast, join Alizila’s Managing Editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd, as she asks Hong Kong-based Herbert Yum, a Research Manager at consultancy Euromonitor International, how he sees changes in technology and consumer behavior impacting retailers.
Tune in here to learn what’s in store for e-commerce in 2024, the Lunar New Year of the Wood Dragon, and beyond!
Startup Futureverse’s CEO on Making Music With AI and Alibaba Cloud
While artificial intelligence has long augmented the creative process in the music industry, technology took a leap forward with the introduction of machine-learning models that generate music based on text prompts.
New Zealand-based AI and metaverse startup Futureverse, riding these technological advances, launched a text-to-music AI generator called JEN after training it on Alibaba Cloud’s AI platform.
“We worked with the music industry to help us understand how to build a product that both respects creators and their creativity, and helps enable them to become better creators,” Futureverse‘s CEO Aaron McDonald told Alizila.
Get the full scoop here
Which European Nation Spends Most Time Shopping Online? Check Out AliExpress’ Consumer Report
French consumers are hunting online for rouge and the Spanish for sports products, while German shoppers are busy revamping their wardrobes.
These national shopping habits and more were revealed by global online marketplace AliExpress in its inaugural Consumer Insights Report released Monday.
Still stumped about which European country spends more time online shopping? Find the answer here
