Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba launched an English-language website for its Tmall Global marketplace aimed at merchants, in an attempt to double the number of international brands on the platform to 40,000 over the next three years, reported Reuters.
The company said in a statement that it wants to make Tmall Global, which currently hosts 20,000 international brands across 77 countries and regions, more appealing and accessible to niche, small- and medium-sized brands from other countries.
The new portal comes as Alibaba is facing lean e-commerce revenue growth, which has been further threatened by the ongoing US-China trade dispute, and increased competition from rivals such as recently listed Pinduoduo Inc.
Launched in 2014, Tmall Global is an extension of Alibaba’s Tmall marketplace and hosts overseas brands looking to sell to Chinese consumers.