CBBC attends Alibaba’s Gateway to Growth: Digital Innovation & Global Export event
Those were the key messages from Alibaba’s Gateway to Growth: Digital Innovation & Global Export, hosted on the 12th of October, in-person event at the British Museum in London. The event attracted hundreds of business leaders to hear and learn from top Alibaba executives, industry experts and successful UK businesses operating on China’s ecommerce platforms, namely Emma Bridgwater, 111 Skin, Fortune and Mason, BP & Unilever.
To kickstart the forum, all speakers and attendees were invited to attend a welcoming from Alibaba, and the CBBC were delighted to be thanked by the Alibaba team for being their partners.
The focus of the conference centred on the gateway to growth for British brands regarding technology and trade. During the day, various speakers were invited to speak on what it takes to succeed in the China’s consumer market, tap into the growing global B2B ecommerce opportunities, and examine the latest innovations from China shaping how consumers engage with brands.
We were also delighted to listen to Mr David Roth, a CBBC Board Member and CEO of the Store – WWP & Chairman, BAV Group, on his understanding of the China opportunity and of the current consumer demand. In his presentation, Roth pointed out several key statistics to aid the audience’s knowledge of some external factors that will influence Chinese consumer groups. For example, Roth presented a survey that stated over 95% of China respondents were feeling the effect of climate change and therefore it is ever more important for brands to incorporate and advertise sustainability.
A key takeaway CBBC learned from Alibaba’s event is that technology is allowing British businesses of all sizes to trade more easily overseas. Yet, British brands need to remember to remain patient to reap the results and portray a brand story as both emotional engagement and storytelling are vital to gain traction in the Chinese market. This is an area that many brands struggle with and one that CBBC can further help with to assist brands establish a solid market entry strategy into China.
The CBBC looks forward to attending Alibaba’s next showcase event and we were excited to see the growing number of brands intending to join and continue to use Alibaba’s multiple platforms.
Watch the session recording here.