AliExpress debuted at the Central and Eastern European Countries Expo, and the time efficiency of cross-border parcels directly flying to Budapest increased by 20%

On June 8, the 2nd China-CEEC Expo and International Consumer Goods Expo (hereinafter referred to as “CEEC Expo”) opened in Ningbo. AliExpress, as the global leader of Alibaba Group, made its debut at the Expo.

(AliExpress's booth in Hall 1 of the Central and Eastern European Expo.)

AliExpress is the largest cross-border e-commerce platform in Central and Eastern Europe, ranking first in Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and other countries, and second in Poland and Romania. In the last fiscal year, AliExpress's GMV (gross merchandise sales) in Central and Eastern Europe increased by nearly 30% year-on-year , with the fastest growth in Slovenia and Poland, both exceeding 40% year-on-year.

The total population of Central and Eastern Europe is 130 million, and the development speed of some countries ranks among the top in the world. For example, Poland, a key market for AliExpress, is the country with the fastest average annual personal income growth in the past 30 years, except for China. Although Poland's e-commerce penetration rate is still lower than that of developed European countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom, its overall growth rate is the fastest, reaching about 19%, and there is huge room for growth. According to a report by the authoritative consulting firm Gemius, the scale of Poland's e-commerce market in 2020 is close to US$20 billion, with an annual growth of about 20%.

" The e-commerce market in Central and Eastern Europe has huge potential. We hope to deepen our presence in this region through infrastructure construction and localized operations , drive the local e-commerce ecosystem, and bring more opportunities to Chinese merchants, " said Wang Mingqiang, general manager of AliExpress .

The latest data from the AliExpress platform shows that CEE consumers favor Chinese home furnishings, tools, sports, consumer electronics, clothing and beauty products. Compared with other markets, CEE consumers prefer "Chinese Style" more, and local female consumers are particularly fond of Chinese fashion products, such as women's clothing and accessories, among which the sales of customized jewelry have increased by more than 100 times year-on-year .

(AliExpress cooperates with Krakow Fashion Week, one of the largest fashion events in Eastern Europe , to bring Chinese fashion to the Central and Eastern European market.)

Sports and leisure products are a hot spot for recent growth. As the epidemic situation in Central and Eastern Europe improves, the sales of outdoor sports products have increased significantly . Women's sportswear, leisure toys, etc. have increased by more than 5 times. In addition, beauty and personal care, smart home, and security products have increased by more than 2 times, and tools, kitchen supplies, and LED lamps have also doubled.

Through the AliExpress platform, many high-quality and low-priced domestic brands have made a name for themselves in the Central and Eastern European market and established their own brand awareness. For domestic brands such as iLife, Booster, and inFace, Poland has become their largest market. InFace, a brand that specializes in beauty devices , 50%-60% of its sales come from the Polish market. During the Super Brand Day event in August last year, with the help of live broadcasts and short videos by Polish influencers on AliExpress, the inFace brand's turnover increased 11 times compared to normal days.

In recent years, AliExpress has continued to invest heavily in logistics, payment and other infrastructure construction in the Central and Eastern European market. It has also brought China's social e-commerce model and experience to the local area, continuously improving consumer experience and optimizing the local e-commerce ecosystem.

AliExpress has three overseas warehouses in Poland and the Czech Republic , covering the entire Central and Eastern European market, providing consumers with a 3- to 7- day delivery logistics experience. In May this year , AliExpress and Cainiao launched a direct cargo flight from Zhengzhou to Budapest, operating 5 flights per week and reaching Budapest in as fast as 10 days. A cab network centered on Budapest was also opened at the same time, covering 10 countries in Central Europe . In Poland and other countries, AliExpress also cooperated with Cainiao and local service providers to set up self-collection cabinets, and worked with local post offices to improve the terminal logistics experience. Through this series of logistics upgrade measures, AliExpress's overall logistics timeliness in Central and Eastern Europe has increased by 20% and costs have decreased by 5%.

(AliExpress and Cainiao set up a self-pickup cabinet.)

Starting in 2020 , AliExpress has partnered with Polish mobile payment company Blik to improve consumers' payment experience. Blik's business accounts for more than 30% of Poland's total transaction volume and is one of the channels with the highest payment success rate in the world.

Poland is also one of the earliest markets where AliExpress tried social operations. Since 2019, AliExpress has introduced the mature domestic live e-commerce model to Poland, and promoted the construction of the local social e-commerce ecosystem through in-depth cooperation with local influencer organizations . At present, there are Eastern European influencers or users live streaming on the AliExpress platform almost every day. According to the authoritative Polish media "Republika", live streaming has significantly increased the interest of Polish consumers in online shopping, and Polish is also one of the top five languages ​​in terms of live streaming views on the AliExpress platform .

(Polish internet celebrities display Chinese products.)

AliExpress is also committed to deepening its localized operations in the Central and Eastern European market . In 2019 and 2020 , AliExpress, as the official partner of Krakow Fashion Week, one of the largest fashion events in Eastern Europe, led Chinese brands to appear in Eastern Europe. On November 11, 2020 , AliExpress joined hands with the well-known Polish football club Lech Poznań to test the waters in the local market, brand, social and other fields. The Chinese ambassador to Poland posted a like, saying that this move will contribute positively to China-Poland sports cooperation and the health of the Chinese and Polish people.