MKG203 Report: A Comprehensive Marketing Analysis of AliExpress

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of AliExpress, an online retail platform owned by the Alibaba Group. The report begins with an overview of AliExpress, its establishment, and its business model, highlighting its focus on connecting buyers with Chinese businesses and its global reach. It then delves into the company's targeting, positioning, and branding strategies, examining how AliExpress aims to attract customers through competitive pricing, a wide product range, and effective branding efforts, including its use of advertisements and sponsorships. The core of the report focuses on AliExpress's digital marketing communication (DMC) mix, evaluating its use of internet promotion, freebies, social media, email marketing, and SMS advertising. Furthermore, it explores AliExpress's B2B strategies and its expansion in the e-commerce market, emphasizing its globalizing approach, data-driven strategies, and mobile-first approach. The report concludes by referencing key academic sources to support its analysis of AliExpress's marketing strategies.

Running head: MKG203
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Part 1
About the company
AliExpress is a renowned online store offering goods at cheap prices than any other
online store. It was established in 2010 by Jack Ma providing platform for small businesses
with a great reachability to customers all over the globe. It is based in China and owned by
Alibaba Group which was started with an online B2B portal it is been now also expanded to
B2C, C2C and cloud computing and payment services. This online platform aims at
connecting buyers with Chinese businesses where it only facilitates as a medium and not as a
direct seller. It’s available with multilingual options, price mark-up facility and an option to
personalize shoppers listing for easy digital shopping. This brand is also indulged in other 6
businesses including AliExpress namely Tabao.com, Tmall, 1688.com, AliMama, Alibaba
cloud, Ant Financial and Cainiao Network. With an overall perspective, Alibaba group is a
public company which was founded in 4th April 1999 in Zhejiang, China. Since then Alibaba
group has developed a system which bridges buyers and suppliers and has expanded to other
services like trade financing, mobile solutions, safe payment and logistics (AliExpress, 2019).
Targeting, positioning and branding strategies
Aliexpress aims at targeting towards major profitable markets which includes global
market (English language) concerned with international exporters and importers and Chinese
market with a focus on local suppliers and buyers. China is speedily moving towards e-
retailing where there are 560 million internet users who spend 20 hours per week on it. In the
context of positioning, AliExpress tries to stand in the mind of customers with variety of
perks as offers, gifts and coupons to attract more to its retail platform. Also, it provides wide
range with prices lower than any other site with diversified line of businesses. With an
advantage of operating in a country with largest population of 423 MM active buyers who are
tech-admirer of new-era, this online platform is the one which saves money and time both.
Branding strategy of AliExpress aims at expanding its business all over world where it has
already taken major stands since starting. Company’s founder decided for such brand name of
company which is easy to pronounce in different languages as well as it uses advertisement
as a platform to increase its service market brand by sponsoring for events like Beijing
Olympics, Australia-China Business Week to grow as a brand (Cravens & Piercy, 2006).

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Part 2
DMC mix analysis
AliExpress adopted internet promotion as the best and fastest digital marketing tool
where it focused at availability in major search engines which gives global access and spreads
awareness. This company also uses freebies (anything received without giving any penny) to
expand its opportunities where they offer freebies offers to client as well as customers to use
AliExpress.
Social media
Social media is a major digital communication platform for this company as its one of
the most effective channels to be used for marketing communication purposes. Significantly,
it is the most used medium by large number of people (Eferin, Hohlov, & Rossotto, 2019).
Email-marketing
Being an online retailer, AliExpress uses email-marketing to build relationship with
its targeted segments to develop create trust and loyalty. This company sends mails offering
discounts and related offers either to its regular customers or to its target segment. They are
to be attracted with such offers via mails with an motive of gaining profit with increase in
sales.
SMS advertisement
Lastly, it also includes SMS advertising with special offers, coupons or any sort of
update to attract buyers.
Hence, in a constantly changing competitive environment, continuous efforts are to be
made to grow in terms of digital marketing communication as this is the only platform which
in coming years will be expanding as a trend.
Strategies
AliExpress has centralised its B2B strategies and its market place is rapidly growing
economy’s capacity to fulfil needs of world by producing and supplying to its full capacity.
Their globalising strategy has increased the value for customers by their offerings which not
only helps in building relationships but also opens gates wider to the world. B2B e-commerce
is a wide platform leading to opportunities for retailers, wholesalers, distributors (Karjaluoto,
Ulkuniemi, & Mustonen, 2015). With the presence in diversified market (cloud computing,
entertainment, etc.) its strategies has justified by serving 2 billion consumers which is an
emerging growth landscape of the e-commerce company. Also, it has prioritised mobile

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where it has collected and analysed data to enhance it for cross-channel transactions and
reconstructed internal resources and systems. These strategies of AliExpress has resulted in
more than 5 million downloads on Google Play which has not only proven it has grown
perspectives for it but also has stand upon its value of making easy to do business anywhere.

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Bibliography
AliExpress. (2019, May). Retrieved 2019, from Google Developers:
https://developers.google.com/web/showcase/2016/aliexpress
Cravens, D., & Piercy, N. (2006). Strategic marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Eferin, Y., Hohlov, Y., & Rossotto, C. (2019). Digital platforms in Russia: competition between national
and foreign multi-sided platforms stimulates growth and innovation. Digital Policy,
Regulation and Governance, 21(2), 129-145.
Karjaluoto, H., Ulkuniemi, P., & Mustonen, N. (2015). The role of digital channels in industrial
marketing communications. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.