Alibaba to bet big on small merchants for Singles Day with RMB 2 billion subsidies
Alibaba to bet big on small merchants for Singles Day with RMB 2 billion subsidies Credit: Alibaba

Alibaba has signed one of England’s most iconic football players David Beckham as a global ambassador for its international e-commerce platform AliExpress, a high-profile move as the Chinese tech giant looks to further promote the platform to the world. An advertising video featuring Beckham highlights the “free shipping and returns” feature, with the former England international encouraging shoppers to “score more with AliExpress.” Alibaba’s International Digital Commerce Group, which includes platforms such as AliExpress, Lazada, and Trendyol, has experienced the fastest growing path among the company’s six main units in recent quarters. The partnership comes after Alibaba become one of the sponsors of Euro 2024, which runs next month. AliExpress claimed that “Chinese cross-border merchants are set for a wave of traffic” in a WeChat post where the company announced Beckham as a brand ambassador. [AliExpress, in Chinese]