Alibaba has introduced a new ‘premium’ service to try to give Amazon a surprise in the fight for electronic commerce. The Chinese giant founded by Jack Ma has launched ‘Aliexpress choice’, a model in which, without a subscription, it offers customers a range of products selected by the company at competitive prices. The advantage? Shipping and returns are free and delivery is guaranteed in nine days. If Aliexpress does not comply, it will pay a compensation of 3 euros per order.
Spain is a strategic market for Alibaba, explained Rodrigo Cipriani, the group’s general manager for southern Europe, this Thursday at an event held in Madrid. Specifically, the gateway to the continent. Alibaba already has nine direct flights a week between China and Spanish airports to meet the conditions of its new service.
The key to guaranteeing that shipments arrive on time and properly involves two aspects. In the first place, due to a well-oiled logistics. The products offered in ‘Aliexpress choice’ are in a prestock situation, that is, preselected in the company’s warehouses so that, once the order is placed, they will be shipped from China the same day. Gary Topp, Aliexpress’s commercial and marketing director, has detailed that these large ships are located near ports and airports in the Asian country to facilitate journeys.
Secondly, Aliexpress has reached agreements with Spanish companies to facilitate the distribution, on the one hand, and that the transactions are safe, on the other. The Asian giant has detailed alliances with Correos and GLS, on the logistics side, and with CaixaBank and BBVA, regarding payments.
As the company explains, the new service offers the possibility of purchasing a series of products already pre-selected by Aliexpress and also packages of three items at a price of 5.99 euros. The company has highlighted that it is currently the second largest e-commerce application in Spain, behind Amazon, according to Eurostat data. Nine million users a month buy through the Chinese company.
The general director of Alibaba for southern Europe has specified that the group’s objective is to “expand the market” in Spain and that the country is strategic, “today and in the future”. The company is betting, as a line of growth, on products related to personal care through its different divisions, Aliexpress, Alibaba.com, Miravia and Tmall.
