Alibaba International Station announces new digital foreign trade opportunities this year: green environmental protection, flexible production, etc. become keywords

Which industries are worth doing in digital foreign trade this year? Will the boom in new energy exports continue? Where will the next export hotspot be? Recently, a live broadcast on Alibaba International Station gave the most comprehensive and in-depth interpretation of the foreign trade industry.

On the evening of April 25 , Qin Fen, head of the Industry and Merchant Business Department of Alibaba International Station, shared his in-depth interpretation and predictions on 12 industries in a two-hour live broadcast , covering hot industries such as new energy, machinery, building materials, automobiles, clothing, beauty, home furnishings, and pets , attracting more than 100,000 foreign trade merchants to watch.

( Qin Fen, head of the Industry and Merchant Business Department of Alibaba International Station, at the live broadcast)

Can new energy still grow rapidly?

At the beginning of last year, Qin Fen specifically mentioned the new trend of new energy in a live broadcast, and suggested that small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises make early arrangements. In terms of growth rate, new energy has been the top industry on Alibaba International Station in recent years , and it has continued to break through new growth points in 2022. So can it still maintain triple-digit growth in the future?

Customs data for the first quarter showed that solar cell exports exceeded 90 billion yuan, an increase of 23.6% ; lithium battery exports were 109.79 billion yuan, an increase of 94.3% ; and inverter exports exceeded 20 billion, an increase of more than 130% .

Qin Fen pointed out in the live broadcast that the overall growth rate of photovoltaics has slowed down due to the gradual transfer of the industry and the decline in component prices. However, the energy storage industry, driven by overseas subsidy policies, still showed a strong growth trend, with explosive growth from portable energy storage to household /industrial and commercial energy storage.

From the perspective of new energy trends on the international site, home microgrids with solar storage and charging, balcony photovoltaic systems, etc., are creating a closed energy storage loop for users. Smart microgrids, for example, collect energy through wind and light, and then store the electricity through energy storage systems. They can charge cars, serve as commercial charging stations, and even sell unused energy to power companies.

" Accelerating humanity's move toward a new era of renewable energy is definitely not a short-lived opportunity . It's just that the subdivision of product categories and service capabilities are very important factors in testing your future competitiveness. " Qin Fen said that the new energy industry is in a magnificent development cycle , and small and medium-sized foreign trade companies in this field must work hard on product and service capabilities.

Is environmental protection becoming more and more important?

On March 6, an Australian buyer posted an RFQ (request for quotation ) inquiry worth US$119,000 on the international site, hoping to purchase 10,000 pieces of biodegradable paper bowls. Such high-value business opportunities are increasing year by year in the RFQ market of the international site.

A report released on Earth Day this year shows that Alibaba International Station has become the base camp for overseas buyers to find environmentally friendly and sustainable products. In the past year, the number of buyers seeking sustainable products on Alibaba International Station has increased by 88 % . Among them, personal care & cleaning, beauty, household kitchen products, maternal and child products and household appliances ranked in the top five in terms of demand growth for sustainable products. "Sustainable", "environmental protection", "biodegradable", "zero waste", "renewable", "organic", "reusable" and other terms have become hot search terms for overseas buyers.

" Environmental protection is no longer a plus point, but a must. " In Qin Fen's interpretation of trends in various key industries, "green and environmental protection" has almost become a common word.

Taking the home furnishing industry as an example, in core markets such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia, as more than 60 countries have joined the upgrade from plastic restrictions to plastic bans , household items such as Tritan water cups and RPET fabric sofa covers , which use new materials that are more environmentally friendly, safe, and durable, have seen an increase of 64% and 43 % year-on-year in the number of merchants on the international site .

The beauty and personal care industries are also targeting environmentally friendly and sustainable products. Waterless beauty products have become the latest popular trend in the European and American markets, and solid, wash-free and concentrated cleaning products have also seen rapid growth in consumer demand.

Even in the home appliance industry, the demand for energy-efficient appliances has increased due to the US's increased energy efficiency requirements and the EU's extension of its natural gas demand reduction target to 2024. The high-quality business opportunities for monitors and TVs on Alibaba International Station increased by 78% year-on-year .

What new opportunities are emerging?

According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers: From January to March this year , the total number of automobile (complete vehicles) exports in China reached 994,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 70.6% , of which 248,000 units were new energy vehicles , a year-on-year increase of 110% .

Regarding the vehicle industry, Qin Fen listed several popular categories on the international site, among which inquiries for new energy passenger cars increased by 646 % year-on-year , inquiries for electric golf carts increased by 40 % year-on- year, inquiries for electric cargo tricycles increased by 36 % year-on- year , and inquiries for commercial trucks increased by 30 % year-on-year .

"In the field of new energy passenger vehicles, the competition barriers of the entire industry chain are a bit high. It is very difficult to compete with Wei, Xiaoli , BYD, and Tesla. However, there may be a place to show your skills in niche sports such as electric golf carts and hotel park shuttle tracks. " Qin Fen introduced that the demand for China's new energy vehicles in the Belt and Road countries is also increasing. Various support policies have been introduced in Central Asia (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) , Southeast Asia (Thailand and the Philippines) , and South America (Brazil and Chile). Small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises can consider making arrangements in advance.

The keyword "flexible production" applies not only to the clothing industry, but also to the machinery industry.

In March this year , clothing exports rebounded from a decline, increasing by 42 % . On the international site, the growth rate of business opportunities in the clothing industry also reached 15.6% . It is worth noting that the onlineization of European and American clothing continues to grow, with a penetration rate of more than 25% .

" Digitalization improves the flexible and quick return capabilities of industrial clusters and has become the core capability of the clothing supply chain. The merchants who can make profits are more reflected in their design capabilities and flexible and quick return capabilities . " Qin Fen gave an example, saying that many foreign Internet celebrities now place orders internationally and require design and customization based on their IP , personal image, etc. Although the initial order may be dozens or hundreds of pieces, once they sell out, they will immediately place more orders, and all of them will be sent to Europe and the United States by air. A piece of clothing can be sold for US$23-27 , and the profit is several times that of the traditional clothing wholesale business.

At the same time, flexible production machinery has become a new growth point for the export of machinery industry. On the international site, the number of inquiries for DTF printers with multi-pattern printing and fast switching increased by 86% year-on-year .

In January and February this year , the export of electronic materials and accessories to Vietnam increased by 459% year- on-year, which is also worth noting. Behind this is the trend of "two-way" transfer of electronic manufacturing industry to Southeast Asia and Europe and the United States . China is accelerating the transformation from exporting finished products to high value-added industrial output of components, modules, design and technical services .

In addition, the cat trend in the pet industry, the auto parts industry entering the post-repair era, the home improvement building materials setting off a "global infrastructure" trend, and beauty entering the "big brand substitute" era are all new digital foreign trade trends that are worthy of in-depth exploration by small and medium-sized foreign trade companies this year .

Alibaba International Station