AliCast from Alizila

This episode of Alicast takes you behind the scenes of Alibaba's groundbreaking new Shanghai campus, a visionary project designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners. Known for iconic creations like Apple Park and the Gherkin, Foster + Partners has once again redefined workplace design, creating a space that blends transparency, innovation, sustainability, and community.The guest host is Jinglu, an architect who brings her expertise to uncover the story behind this extraordinary project. She is joined by Jeremy Kim and Yu Zheng, partners at Foster + Partners, who share their insights into the design and construction of this campus. Together, they explore how the bold vision of “See and Be Seen” inspired a design that breaks traditional office boundaries.As Jeremy Kim aptly puts it, this campus is “designed to enhance collaboration, well-being, and innovation for generations to come.” Join us as we dive into the architectural, engineering, and cultural significance of Alibaba's new Shanghai campus—a building that's not just a workspace, but a statement about the future of work itself. 

In this episode of Alicast, host Selina Zhang takes us inside Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming global business operations. Joining the conversation is Kaifu Zhang, Vice President and Head of AI Initiatives at Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC). From empowering small merchants with AI-driven translation, marketing, and customer service tools to reimagining global trade through multimodal models and personalized products, Kaifu reveals how Alibaba's platforms like Aliexpress, Lazada, and etc are shaping the future of e-commerce. With exciting insights into the next wave of AI innovation, this episode offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the tools making entrepreneurship more accessible and commerce more seamless. Tune in to learn how AI will influence business operations in the next decade—and why the smallest enterprises may benefit the most.

As shoppers increasingly lean on generative AI to answer questions and refine their searches, they will expect merchants, brands and marketplaces to keep pace.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 to this conversation to learn what's in store for e-commerce in 2024, the Lunar New Year of the Wood Dragon, and beyond!

Alibaba Group and the world's largest cosmetics company L'Oréal have joined forces in a three-year partnership to promote a circular economy within China's beauty industry. This collaboration was announced in Beijing last month during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the country.In this episode of Alicast, join Alizila's Managing Editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd, as she speaks with Janet Neo, L'Oréal's Chief Sustainability Officer for North Asia & China. Tune in to this conversation to learn about the importance of sustainability in the beauty industry and the challenges Alibaba and L'Oréal are tackling together.

E-commerce has steadily grown as a percentage of total retail sales in China. We spoke to consultants at Bain & Co to hear if the trend will continue into next year.Worried about staying one step ahead of your competitors in China? Bain also counseled brands on how to keep their edge. Tune into this, the second part of our wide-ranging discussion with James Yang, a partner at consultancy Bain, for advice on mastering the defining trends in the world's second-largest retail market.  In this episode of Alicast, Yang offered his insights into overcoming supply chain snarl-ups as well as speeding up product development.

Retail expert David Roth joined Alicast to discuss about the latest e-commerce trends in China, the world's second-largest e-commerce market.David, CEO of retail practice The Store-WPP and Chairman of consultancy WPP BAV, spoke about the evolution of the retail industry in China. London-headquartered communications group, WPP, is at the forefront of advising global brands on navigating markets and absorbing cutting-edge technology.  “If you really want to see the future of technology, of retail, of the combination between on-and-offline is, then China is the place to have a look,” said David. Alicast spoke to David on the eve of the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world's largest retail event. 

Brands are rethinking their marketing tactics in China, as the world's second-largest retail market matures and customer behavior evolves.Instead of chasing growth through discounting drives, brands are turning to customer membership programs to generate revenue over the long term, according to a new report by consultancy Bain & Co.We sat down with one of the report's authors, Bain Partner James Yang, to discuss what makes a winning loyalty program.James draws on examples from global marquee brands such as Costco, an American multinational corporation that operates membership-only big-box retail stores, French beauty products retailer Sephora and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group's 88VIP program to illustrate how brands should design rewards programs. 

Niche luxury fashion houses are expanding in China, using digital tools to build a loyal following in the world's second-largest economy. In this episode of Alicast, we speak to Scandinavian fashion house Filippa K's CEO Rikard Frost about connecting with Chinese consumers.A Swedish native, Frost joined Filippa K last year with a mission to reboot Filippa K for the post-pandemic landscape using his experience in e-commerce.Frost spent over a decade leading the digital transformation of Acne Studios from a local denim brand to an international fashion house. He went on to become Alexander Wang's Chief Consumer Officer based in New York.

Alibaba Group will offer Chinese consumers the most diverse range of products on record during this year's 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world's largest retail event.This year's 11.11, also known as Double 11 or Single's Day in China, will feature over 290,000 brands from more than 90 countries and regions. There will be 17 million products on offer to over 1 billion consumers shopping on Alibaba's marketplaces in China. In this episode of Alicast, we're joined by Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group to talk about the latest e-commerce trends coming out of China and how global brands can best leverage 11.11 to build lasting connections with consumers. 

Nanushka, one of fashion's fastest-growing brands, is out to make a big splash in China, targeting nine stores across the world's second-largest economy by 2026.The Budapest-based fashion house also launched on Alibaba Group's business-to-consumer marketplace Tmall and opened a store in Shanghai in October.In this episode of Alicast, we're joined by Péter Baldaszti, the co-founder and CEO of Nanushka and fashion investment platform Vanguards Group to talk about his China vision.  

Shopping festivals are evolving from discounting drives into an opportunity for brands to connect with new consumers and build a loyal fan base.The 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, also known as Single's Day in China, is the biggest retail event of them all and brands prepare months in advance to perfect their campaigns.Traditionally conservative luxury brands are embracing online shopping in droves as the user experience improves in strides and e-commerce takes an increasingly larger share of total retail sales. In China, digitally native consumers expect a seamless shopping experience whenever and wherever they want to shop.Luxury brands, such as Italy's Brunello Cucinelli and Hungary's Nanushka, recently made e-commerce in China a core plank of their international expansion.in this episode of Alicast, Kathy Jiang, Principal & Chief Researcher at global consultancy Roland Berger talks with Alizila's Managing Editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd, about how luxury brands can maximize their investment in 11.11 to attract Chinese consumers. 

You're listening to Alicast, a deep dive into innovative and emerging trends in e-commerce, online payments and digital entertainment, brought to you by Alibaba Group.In this conversation, Alizila's Managing Editor Alison Tudor-Ackroyd talks with Michael Huang, General Manager for the Greater China region at Italian luxury brand, Brunello Cuccinelli. Michael has over two decades worth of experience working for high-end brands in mainland China and has served at Brunello Cucinelli for more than eight years based in Shanghai.  They talk about luxury trends in China, the impact of the pandemic on brands and pointers for going digital. 

You're listening to Alicast, a deep dive into innovative and emerging trends in e-commerce, online payments and digital entertainment, brought to you by Alibaba Group.In this conversation, Alizila's Managing Editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd talks to Eat Just's Chief Executive Josh Tetrick, about the plant-based food provider's expansion into China.Josh has worked on sustainability initiatives throughout this career, be it at the United Nations or Citibank, as a government advisor and for the past 11 years as an entrepreneur.

You're listening to Alicast, a deep dive into innovative and emerging trends in e-commerce, online payments and digital entertainment, brought to you by Alibaba Group.In this conversation, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd talks with Guive Balooch, head of L'Oréal's technology incubator, about how the brand embraces augmented reality and blockchain to enhance consumer experience.You will also hear topics including beauty trend, personalization as well as the brand's sustainable moves to save the planet.

You are listening to Alicast, a deep dive into innovative and emerging trends in e-commerce, online payments and digital entertainment brought to you by Alibaba Group. I'm Alizila's editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd, and today's guest is JuE Wong, CEO of Olaplex, a professional haircare line.We'll be digging into the latest trends in China's fast-growing haircare market and how brands can take part in China's largest shopping festival, 11.11.

In this episode of Alicast,  Alizila's Jing Wang talks to Frank Lavin about how companies can succeed in China, informed by his 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors.Before becoming an entrepreneur, Frank had a stellar career in Washington as the top trade negotiator for China and India in the Commerce Department and later served as US Ambassador to Singapore. As CEO and Founder of ExportNow, a China e-commerce solution firm, Frank has facilitated hundreds of market entries for international brands from Fender to the NFL.

Technology has completely disrupted the way we shop in the 21st century. So how can retail leaders navigate these massive changes – especially after the experiences of the Covid lockdowns? To answer these questions and more, Alizila's Liyan Chen talks to one of the most influential scholars and thought leaders in retail. Barbara Kahn is the Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  To read the full transcript, visit here: https://www.alizila.com/podcast/author-and-scholar-barbara-kahn-on-retail-innovation-in-china

In this conversation, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd talks with Davin Leong, managing director for Asia Pacific at British hairstyling and appliance brand ghd, about China's fast-growing hair care market and taking part in China's largest shopping festival, 11.11. They dig into what brands need to do to make a successful 11.11 debut.Other topics covered include how and when to use Alibaba's Hey Box to launch new products in the Chinese market.Find more stories from Alibaba and around its ecosystem here: www.alizila.com

Reis launched SuperOrdinary in 2017 has since helped innovative young beauty brands like Supergoop!, Biossance, and Drunk Elephant build their presence in China. Recently, SuperOrdinary expanded their business in the U.S. to help brands build their portfolio and presence in the crowded Amazon marketplace. The founder shares his learnings from China's e-commerce operations to the businesses they will help on Amazon. 

Alibaba Group's online marketplace AliExpress is expanding its services in Brazil, from payments options to delivery networks, as e-commerce takes off in Latin America's largest e-commerce market during the coronavirus pandemic.

On this year's Ali Day, an annual celebration of Alibaba employees and their families that takes place on May 10th, we profile our outgoing general counsel, Tim Steinert. Tim is a 14-year veteran of Alibaba. He joined in 2007 and has been instrumental in building the legal structure for the company, guiding Alibaba through ups and downs as it grew. In this episode, Tim shares his views as a former member of the Alibaba partnership on the culture that makes the company so unique. 

From recent discussions with German brands Lauenstein and Beurer, Alibaba's Karl Wehner details how China - which offered a viable market during Covid lockdowns in their home and EU markets - has become core to the SMEs' future growth strategies.

Sweaty Betty Vice President for China Lexie Morris details how the stylish U.K. fitness apparel brand targeted Alibaba's Tmall Global for its entry into China and its expansion plans in the world's largest consumer market. 

Senreve founder Coral Chung shares the creative secrets that have fueled her handbag and accessory brand’s success in China and around the world.

Mark Yuan and Zoe Zhang are the founders of New York-based e-commerce livestreaming consultancy, And Luxe. In this Alicast with Monica Suk, the married couple looks back at the past four years of bringing Western brands and products to life for Chinese consumers and the prospects the model will catch on in other parts of the world.

Bain & Co. Senior Partner Bruno Lannes is co-author of a research report titled China Luxury Report 2020: New Growth for China's Luxury Goods Market along with Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury unit. On the latest Alicast he talks about the year that was and expected trends in the year ahead for luxury retailing in China and elsewhere in the world.

Alibaba's 11.11 is over, but the important lessons brands learned during the world's largest shopping festival will stand them in good stead throughout the entire year. Gartner Managing Vice President Danielle Bailey joins Alicast to explain how brands can adopt 11.11-style experimentation and marketing innovations for success in other campaigns on the calendar.

With Alibaba's Global Shopping Festival behind us and Black Friday just ahead, WPP's David Roth - CEO of The Store, Chairman of Brand Z and a China e-commerce expert - shares his thoughts on brand behavior in China, the future of livestreaming in e-commerce and how Black Friday in the U.S. is different from 11.11, the world's largest shopping event.

Can a startup go global right away? Josh Ghaim, CEO of a startup called Nuria, says yes and is demonstrating how it's done through collaboration with Alibaba's Tmall Global. Ghaim co-founded his skincare company after 15 years at Johnson & Johnson. And he says these days, whether you're a big company or startup, embracing digital transformation in the era of e-commerce it's easier than it ever was to reach new consumers in new markets across the world.

It’s fair to say that without Alibaba.com, there would be no Alibaba Group. The group’s oldest and most-venerable e-commerce platform was at the heart of what Jack Ma and his fellow founders started up in 1999. The 2020 version of the B2B platform has become a global, digital marketplace matching buyers and sellers. It is – among other things – an end-to-end platform for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses looking to go global.

Along with its human toll. Covid-19 also had a profound impact on China’s retail sales. At the height of the pandemic in January and February, foot traffic dried up due to lockdowns, and retail sales dropped sharply in most categories. As China has emerged from the effects of the virus, we’ve seen retail sales rebound and new, interesting patterns of consumer consumption emerge, some of them looking as if they’re reshaping the sector. We spoke with Daniel Zipser, McKinsey senior partner in China, to understand how the country weathered the unprecedented brick-and-mortar shutdown and the new and emerging online and offline consumption patterns, post-Covid. The transcript below has been edited for brevity and clarity.

In our latest Alicast, Harvard Business School Executive-in-Residence Daniel O'Connor shares his thoughts – and results of a case study – about Alibaba's Tmall Innovation Center. The model of working closely with brands and using consumer analytics to help create new products that can be sped to market in China is revolutionary. It's also something big companies and brands in the West should consider to become more plugged-in and agile in meeting customer needs.

Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg talks about how Covid-19 has allowed her to reset and reevaluate her business, her outlook on the China market and the role of innovation that has been core to her vision since she pioneered the wrap dress nearly 50 years ago. Her brand's digital pivot has included deeper engagement with Chinese consumers and fundraising for pandemic relief via Alibaba's Taobao Live channel and becoming one of the first brands to move its runway show online for Shanghai Fashion Week.

Fliggy's Frank Huang discusses the travel platform's recent developments, its relationships with customers and travel & hospitality brands and what the future will look like.

In the four-plus years since its founding, Tmall Global has become China's number-one import e-commerce platform. Deputy GM Yi Qian joins Alicast to discuss its recipe for success and future plans.

You can tell a lot about a future partner from his play on the basketball court. That's how Qupital's two founders met. Now, just a couple years later, they are running a rapidly expanding online lending platform out of Hong Kong for borrowers who might otherwise find short-term borrowing difficult.

Luxury consumption is on the rise in China, as consumers seek a lifestyle upgrade. Increasingly, they’re turning to online options. L2’s Danielle Bailey talks about how e-commerce platforms and brands are adapting to this growing and exciting market segment.

Little did Sandy Friesen know that a video livestream from her living room in the U.S. would catapult her small handwoven handbag company to success 8,000 miles away, in China. Welden's "bags-to-riches" tale holds lessons for U.S. brands looking to enter China's markets.

Just ahead of Lazada's 12.12 shopping festival grand finale, CEO Max Bittner talks about how the e-commerce platform is growing and thriving on its own steam and with help from parent Alibaba Group's online know-how, technology and deep ecosystem.

Mintel's Matthew Crabbe explains how retailers and brands can be successful in catching the eye of discerning -- and increasingly sophisticated -- Chinese consumers.

Cindy Chow, executive director of the HK$1 billion Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund Jack Ma founded in 2015 discusses some of the Fund's flagship programs, such as the Jumpstarter competition, its successes and what lies ahead.

AliHealth Vice President Ma Li highlights innovative programs and initiatives that the Alibaba unit employs to make it easier for doctors and patients to communicate and to help secure the supply chain for pharmaceuticals in China.

Logistics is the secret sauce for every successful e-commerce platform. Few do it better than Cainiao. Its Chief Technology Officer, Ben Wang, discusses how technological advances and innovation are helping the company power toward its goal of getting packages inside China delivered within 24 hours and within 72 hours to the rest of the world.

The company's motto is, "you can relax. We've got this." And they do. iCracked, with years of experience, a team of 3,000 on-call technicians and a strong and steady supply of parts sourced through Alibaba.com has grabbed a significant share of the U.S. market for repair and replacement of damaged smartphone and tablet screens. Founder and CEO A.J. Forsythe shares the details of iCracked's success on this Alicast.

Futurist Tom Goodwin joins Alizila's Adam Najberg to talk about how consumer demands mean retail now boils down to either a speedy, frictionless and unmemorable transaction or a rich experience, both online and offline.

ExportNow Founder Frank Lavin joins Alizila's Adam Najberg and talks turkey about what U.S. merchants must do to become a successful brand in China's competitive e-commerce market.

Mondavi's Berny Yang and Lydia Li join Alizila's Adam Najberg to detail how the U.S. wine brand has used compelling content and big data via Tmall to win a rave following in China. Winery videos and sharing a tasting lexicon with customers has educated many a palate in the world's most-populous country.

Futurist Tom Goodwin of Zenith joins Alizila's Adam Najberg on Alicast to explain why the U.S. retail sector is in such turmoil despite 8 straight years of economic growth in the U.S. They discuss disruption and future trends in retail and how and where we're likely to see them.

Investor and China expert Jeff Towson talks Chinese consumers with Alizila's Adam Najberg. He shares his insights on who they are, what they like, how they shop and what it's like trying to sell to buyers in the world's most-populous country.

OtterBox has long been known for its incredibly tough smartphone protective cases. Listen as Alizila's Adam Najberg speaks with two of the Fort Collins company's Asia Pacific executives about how they've successfully adapted the brand to compete in China, one of the world's toughest markets for phone cases.