People born in the 1990s and 1995s became the protagonists of the Alibaba International Station Digital Foreign Trade Award for the first time

The annual foreign trade "Oscar" is here! On November 16 , the Alibaba International Station Digital Foreign Trade Real Awesome Award was held in Hangzhou. More than 2,000 foreign trade professionals from all over the country witnessed 21 annual foreign trade professionals compete for the annual top 10 and shared their "tested and effective" digital foreign trade practical experience.

(Photo: Alibaba International Station's "Digital Foreign Trade Award" on-site)

The reporter observed at the Digital Foreign Trade Real Awesome Awards that a large number of Chinese people born in the 1990s , 1995s , and even 2000s , these "digital natives" are becoming the main force in digital foreign trade entrepreneurship. Data shows that among the 21 participants that day , those born in the 1990s or even "quasi-2000s" accounted for more than 38%, a significant increase compared with previous years, and those born in the 1990s who were in their early twenties also accounted for 14%.

Digital foreign trade has entered a new era, and the post-90s and post-00s have become the natives of digital foreign trade . In recent years, a large number of outstanding young entrepreneurs have emerged on Alibaba International Station, and digital foreign trade has become an important choice for young people to start their own businesses. A foreign trade merchant at the scene said, " At the end of 2023, it is very valuable for everyone to 'stop' and take a look at the 'direction' of young people going overseas. "

Taking the path others dare not take, the post -90s and post - 95s have opened up new paths with digitalization

This new generation of overseas investors has taken a different approach with the help of digital tools.

(Photo: Post-95 contestants at the "Digital Foreign Trade Award" at Alibaba International Station)

"In fact, the threshold for digital overseas expansion is really not high. I have verified here that as long as you have goods, you can do foreign trade, a fast overseas expansion model for fair goods sourcing on the Internet." Huang Kai , general manager of Foshan Shunde Jiezhu Furniture Co., Ltd. , went from not knowing English, not understanding the business, and having no channels to making his store one of the top three in the industry with an average monthly sales of 3 million. This " quasi- 00 " born in 1999 only took half a year.

Liu Yuchuan , general manager of Hebei Baoding Taotaohui Import and Export Trading Co., Ltd., was born in 1996 and is also a "digital native". He has no background in a large company, no family support, and even doesn't know English . In less than two years, he made 40 million in revenue by selling cat litter on Alibaba International Station .

Zhu Yue , general manager of Zhuji Zhongqi Import and Export Co., Ltd., switched from being a gynecologist to doing foreign trade. Being born in the 90s was the most shining label for him in the early days of his business. " Traditional foreign trade relies on time to accumulate connections, while digital platforms rely on methods to gain efficiency. " Zhu Yue managed to stand out from the crowded red ocean track - socks.

Wang Xuejiao , the "Ferris Wheel Billionaire" born in the 1990s and general manager of Zhengzhou Limeiqi Amusement Equipment Co., Ltd. , is even more daring. After switching from domestic trade to foreign trade, she exported Ferris wheels and other amusement equipment to children in war-torn areas, and achieved an annual revenue of over 300 million yuan through exporting happiness. She said that foreign trade is a market with relatively fair and global opportunities, and we should not underestimate the backward areas in our mindset.

The stories of these new generations of foreign trade may sound like fairy tales, but at the Digital Foreign Trade Awards, the digital foreign trade methodology they summarized and shared made many “foreign trade veterans” with more than ten years of experience in the industry call themselves “insiders”.

Huang Kai's uncle originally sold dining tables and chairs, but this market was too competitive. Huang Kai tried to find new possibilities on Alibaba International Station. He used the data tool at the backend of the International Station - Data Advisor, and saw a new blue ocean market.

"My uncle makes dining tables and chairs, the supply-demand ratio is 120, and the buyer scale index is 1400. I searched for sofas, the supply-demand ratio is 240, and the buyer scale index is 1800. Isn't this a blue ocean track? " However, Huang Kai discovered that the reason why there are so few entrants in this blue ocean track is that the tariffs on sofas are different in different countries, and sofas are large in size. When shipping, a cabinet can hold 2,000 dining tables and chairs, but only 18 sets of sofas . Everyone finds it troublesome and inefficient, so few people do it.

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. "Okay, I don't mind the trouble, this is it!" After using digital tools to understand market demand more efficiently, Huang Kai made a differentiated judgment.

Take the road that others dare not or are unwilling to take, and accept the orders that others dare not or are unwilling to accept. Say "lie down" on the surface, but actually work hard to win an "admission ticket" for yourself to go overseas.

When Zhu Yue was still a novice seller, he knew it was difficult to grab big customers, “ so I would cultivate new buyers like me and let them grow with me. ” He not only provides products, but also provides them with product development suggestions, marketing suggestions for the C-end market, and future brand marketing plans.

An American online celebrity e-commerce customer, who most factories were reluctant to accept at the time, gradually grew into a major buyer under Zhu Yue’s “Seller Growth Plan”. Now he not only recognizes Zhu Yue as a fixed supplier, but also does not bargain for large purchases .

At the same time, by using data to gain insights into potential hot-selling products, Zhu Yue quickly developed and put them on the shelves, creating a pair of hot-selling socks that have been popular for a whole year. He said that his determination to grow with buyers and his confidence in data are the secrets to his success in the red ocean market.

With the emergence of digital foreign trade tools such as AI , new generation foreign trade entrepreneurs are more willing to "take the lead"

In 2023 , " rolling out" has become a consensus, and B2B foreign trade has become a strategic business opportunity. New technologies have brought new speeds to digital foreign trade. Digital foreign trade platforms represented by Alibaba International Station have moved towards "smart" changes, and the era of simple foreign trade has arrived.

The new generation of foreign trade entrepreneurs are obviously more daring to be the "first person to try something new".

Wang Xuejiao opened a 40,000-square-meter playground for cross-border live broadcasting, allowing salesmen to display products in real scenes, bringing in 300 inquiries a month . " Especially for overseas customers who could not come to China during the epidemic , we used this method to ensure the stability of the transaction rate. Customers will also record our live broadcasts, share them with peers and colleagues, and even post them on social media, so that everyone can see the way Chinese people do business together. " Wang Xuejiao said that cross-border live broadcasting has brought transactions and free attention, achieving cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

Recently, Alibaba International Station launched the foreign trade industry’s first AI full-link product “Business Assistant”, and Huang Kai quickly became its fan.

"I've spotted a quick way for us young people to use technology to get away with things, like the use of AI tools. For young entrepreneurs, it really is all about having hands." Huang Kai now leads his team colleagues every day to study "how to train the AI ​​business assistant on the international site to better understand the needs of the team" and help the team generate titles, images, and even videos faster.

Traditional furniture e-commerce takes at least one month from design to sample making and product testing, and the cost is more than five figures . Now, it only takes two hours to release 100 products, which greatly improves efficiency.

In addition, Huang Kai's team will build a database in the background of Xiaoman (OKKI), label and digitize all supply chains and products, and shorten the time it takes for sales staff to provide quotations from one or two days to less than five minutes.

" Our merchants have turned AI foreign trade into reality and found real work for AI. The 'Path to the Future' was not discussed but created by each of us together. " Zhang Kuo, president of Alibaba International Station, said that since the beginning of this year, Alibaba International Station has launched the first full-link AI product in the foreign trade industry , with further improvements in cross-border live streaming, logistics experience, and financial services , in order to make it extremely simple for every merchant to do foreign trade .

(Photo: 2023 , 10 little things of foreign trade people )

Alibaba International Station

Digital Foreign Trade Award