Alibaba Launches Virtual Trade Show Platform At CES 2019

Alibaba.com, the B-to-B wing of China’s e-commerce giant, has added a new wrinkle to its mobile app and website.

The latest feature, “Trade Shows,” provides a digital platform for trade event exhibitors that allows offsite buyers to shop their booths remotely.

Alibaba debuted and demonstrated the new commerce tool at this week’s CES 2019, where suppliers at the Design and Sourcing Hall uploaded short “TikTok”-style interactive videos about their products in real time to the in-app Trade Shows channel, for viewing by virtual attendees worldwide.

The company said the goal of the new service is to promote global trade and procurement, facilitate direct communication between trade partners seamlessly, and extend the reach of the physical event to a broader audience online.

Here’s how it works: During a trade show, users can access the event landing page via the Alibaba.com app or desktop site. Users will see tabs for suppliers, product and video content, and can mark exhibit locations and events and endorse participating vendors. Each participating vendor can post product videos to promote its presence at the show, bringing off-site viewers and traffic to the digital event booths, Alibaba said.

Written by Alan Wolf on Twice