EVENT RECAP | Company Visit at Alibaba Group, 3 July 2024

On 3rd July the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Alibaba Group, organized a company visit to the headquarter of Alibaba in Hangzhou, gathering 40 participants.

First, the holding company for six major business groups (Taobao and Tmall Group, Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, Cloud Intelligence Group, Local Services Group, Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited and Digital Media and Entertainment Group) has opened the doors of the new Alibaba Museum, offering an immersive journey through Alibaba's remarkable evolution, from its humble beginnings in 1999 to becoming a global powerhouse.

The museum offers the visionary leadership of Jack Ma, the innovative advance in e-commerce, and the company's expansive growth into diverse sectors such as cloud computing, digital entertainment, and smart logistics. Through engaging exhibits and interactive displays, visitors gain a comprehensive understanding of Alibaba's mission to empower businesses and its vision to foster a dynamic and sustainable ecosystem.

The afternoon session was opened by Nicola Davanzo, Head of Sales at Alibaba Italy. After thanking everyone for coming, he invited Antonella Fontanarosa, Deputy Secretary General of the CICC & Shanghai Office Manager, to take the stage. After a brief overview of the Chamber and its mission, she stressed the importance of understanding Alibaba's collaboration with Italian companies and how it contributes to their business expansion.

Nicola then highlighted the significant impact of Alibaba's technology and platforms on European exports and digital transformation. Established in 1999, Alibaba's first office in continental Europe is based in Milan, underlining the strategic importance of Italy. He reiterated Alibaba's mission to "make it easy to do business anywhere" and discussed how its e-commerce platforms have become critical for Italian businesses, driving direct exports and contributing significantly to GDP recovery and employment.

He outlined key growth factors for export activities, including the creation of own online sales sites, the development of sales strategies on platforms and marketplaces, and strategic partnerships. He also addressed the main barriers to exporting and presented solutions aimed at increasing the digitalization of exports, thus improving the global reach of Italian companies.

Marco Zhou, Account Executive at Alibaba, discussed the importance of digital marketing and advertising on Alibaba, especially considering the company's 25th anniversary. He highlighted Alibaba's role as a leading marketplace for B2B trade, detailing the key product categories and the distinct advantages it offers, including enhanced brand awareness, global exposure, lead generation and brand protection. Zhou explained Alibaba's comprehensive solutions for building awareness, driving consideration and generating leads.  

Afterwards, Irene Benestare, Account Executive at Alibaba then addressed the artificial intelligence dilemma facing many companies. She noted that while 92% of companies believe AI will have a significant impact on their exports, only 8% have implemented it. Furthermore, 22% see AI as a source of complications rather than a viable solution. During a discussion, it was revealed that only three companies in the room had adopted AI, with others citing high costs and perceived immaturity of the technology as barriers. Irene highlighted the benefits of intelligent communication, demonstrating how AI integrated into Alibaba's platform can effectively respond to customer queries, and how the smart assistant has been proven to increase efficiency by 30.4%. She also discussed how AI provides valuable product insights by analyzing product performance, ultimately improving business strategies and results.

Finally, Alessandro Marcello, Head of Customer Success for Italy and Spain at Alibaba, invited Yann Hautiere, Head of Business Development at Camozzi Automation S.p.A., to talk about his company. Hautiere highlighted Camozzi's extensive range of industrial automation products, its five consolidated divisions and its workforce of over 3,000 employees. He explained the complexity of B2B purchasing processes and the importance of reaching a new generation of digitally savvy decision-makers with timely and relevant content. He emphasized the need for a strong digital marketing strategy and explained how Camozzi uses various digital tools such as blogs, emails, social networks and landing pages to attract and convert leads. Alessandro Marcello concluded by praising Camozzi's innovative digital approach and its importance in modern industrial marketing.

The event concluded with a Q&A session, where attendees inquired further about how AI works and delved into Alibaba's e-commerce and logistics operations. This interactive segment provided deeper insights into how Alibaba is leveraging advanced technologies and streamlined logistics to support global trade and business efficiency.

A special thanks to Alibaba for hosting us and for all your participation!