Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest to get started on Tmall Global

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Alibaba Group’s Tmall Global, the largest cross-border ecommerce platform in China, have announced the launch of the UK and Ireland edition of ‘Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest’, a virtual event designed to help international brands grow their businesses globally. Following the success of Pitch Fest 2020 in the US, the programme will be opened up to British and Irish brands looking to find success in China.

What can Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest offer?

The event will provide an opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses to be fast-tracked into the world’s biggest shopping event, Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, which last year generated $74.1 billion in GMV. The 2020 festival saw more than 31,000 overseas brands take part and of those 2,600 brands participated in 11.11 for the first time. During the 11-day period $494 million worth of goods from UK businesses were sold – showing continued strong demand for UK products among Chinese consumers.

Eligible brands can register to pitch their products to an Alibaba expert panel to receive valuable advice on how to grow their business in China. Brands that are selected to participate will receive hands-on advice from Tmall Global, and their products will be featured on the marketplace during the shopping festival.

Successful businesses will work directly with the Tmall Global team and will receive marketing advice and tools to boost brand awareness. These brands will also feature in a dedicated livestreaming session hosted by the Tmall Global team in the lead up to and during 11.11, to ensure visibility within the market. Brands will also be pitched to some of the most famous influencers in China for inclusion in their 11.11 livestreams – potentially attracting hundreds of millions of followers. In fact, in the lead-up to last year’s 11.11, Welsh beauty tech brand SmoothSkin broadcast a livestream which had more than 103 million views.

“Given the dramatic shift to online shopping and the continued strong demand for British goods in China, a digital strategy and a China strategy are now essential to fuelling the recovery and growth of British businesses after this challenging year. Yet research we conducted in late 2020, showed that just one in five British SMEs are planning to export in the next 12 months, and of those, only 7% include China as part of their export strategy.”
– David Lloyd, General Manager of UK, Nordics & The Netherlands, Alibaba Group

1-2-1 consultation with a Tmall Global expert

All brands that apply, regardless of whether they are selected for fast tracking, will receive a 1-2-1 consultation with a Tmall Global expert and a bespoke report with market data and consumer insights. The feedback and report will be specifically tailored to each brand to allow them to consider ways to adapt their business to expand into China in the future.

“China is an exciting market with huge growth potential, but we recognise it can seem daunting to some. Pitch Fest is a unique and exciting opportunity for British and Irish brands to launch and test their products during the most high-profile shopping moment in the Chinese consumer’s calendar – Alibaba’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival – which had more than 800 million consumers participate last year. It is a fantastic way for brands to gauge the response from Chinese consumers to their brand and products.”
– Zarina Kanji, Business Development Manager, Tmall Global

Successful brands on Tmall Global

Since 2014, Tmall Global has helped hundreds of brands from the UK and Ireland to sell directly to hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers. Since the start of the year, the platform has launched more than 40 brands.

Brands that have recently joined Tmall Global include Holland & Barrett, Sweaty Betty, Rude Health, Jo Loves, Creed, Molton Brown and Child’s Farm among many others.

Who and how to apply for Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest

The Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest welcomes applications from UK & Ireland-based small and medium-sized businesses that are e-commerce ready, with products suitable for cross border ecommerce.

Suggested product categories could span all major retail verticals, including: apparel and accessories, beauty and personal care, electronics, home, food and beverage, health and wellness, baby and maternity, toys, and pet products.

The deadline for submission is July 16 2021 and the Pitch Fest will take place virtually on July 17-31 2021.

For more information and to apply for the event, please visit: Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest | UK & Ireland (alibabapowersbusinesses.com) or email: [email protected]

General Criteria checklist

There’s no point trying to sell on Tmall Global if you’re not ready, so brands considered for evaluation should meet the following criteria:

  • Be ecommerce ready (i.e. unique UPC on each product, have images and detailed product descriptions)
  • Unique product selling point or brand story
  • Dedicated personnel to work with Tmall Global team for setup and selling into China
  • Suggested minimum annual turnover of £3 million
  • Must be registered UK or Irish brand on Companies House / CRO Ireland with registered UK or Irish trademark
  • Must have capability to export

What type of business are China ready?

Brands selling high-quality British and Irish products in the following categories:

  • Beauty
  • Fragrance, skincare sets, facial serum, face masks, eye serum

  • Personal Care
  • Body lotion/cream, neck cream, body care sets, hair dye kits, hair care

  • Fashion
  • Bags, sneakers, sports/winter jackets, eye glasses frames, outdoor, yoga

  • Health
  • Functional gummies, probiotics, beauty & healthy ageing supplements, sport nutrition, meal replacement products

  • Baby & Maternity
  • Baby care (diaper cream, handwash, body wash, lotions), lip care/balm, maternity cosmetics/skincare, probiotics

  • Home
  • Home fragrance

  • Any brands with products in the below broader categories are also welcome to apply:
    • Apparel & Accessories
    • Baby, Kids & Maternity (including Toys)
    • Beauty & Personal Care
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Fashion
    • Food & Beverage
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home Goods

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