On this 253rd episode of Marketing Today, I’m speaking to Erica Chan, who leads customer experience and brand insights at Alibaba.com, one of the world’s largest B2B e-commerce marketplaces.
On the show, we discuss the nearly $ 24 trillion global B2B e-commerce market and how Alibaba is globalizing and localizing its brand around the world.
Chan is breaking down the beast of an organization that is Alibaba and transforming it into a global brand. Chan said they realized they needed to redesign the platform to make it really “helpful and relevant” for businesses today. The way the world does business is changing rapidly and Chan sees digitization and e-commerce platforms as a “gateway” to that transition.
Learn more about the future of B2B e-commerce and virtual trade shows in our discussion on this episode of Marketing Today.
In this episode you will learn:
- How you act globally and at the same time act locally with your brand
- Why digitization and access to e-commerce are now essential for B2B
- Why e-commerce is a gateway to globalization
Key highlights:
- [02:20] Erica’s role at Alibaba
- [04:48] Alibaba’s organizational structure
- [07:15] Alibaba’s transformation
- [09:37] How Erica thinks about the globalization of the Alibaba brand
- [12:40] The different ways companies can use Alibaba
- [16:48] How the pandemic accelerated digitization
- [21:10] Alibaba’s virtual trade shows
- [24:04] What Marketers Should Think About In 2021
- [27:17] An experience that defines Erica made her what she is today
- [28:46] Erica’s advice to her younger self
- [29:38] A recent purchase that Erica made
- [31:24] The brands, companies and causes of Erica follow
- [33:15] What Erica says is the greatest threat and opportunity for marketers today
Mentioned resources:
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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of Marketing Today with Alan Hart, a weekly podcast interviewing leading global marketers and executives. Alan advises senior executives and marketing teams on brand, customer experience, innovation and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies but is essentially an entrepreneur who has founded or served as an executive in nine startups.