AliExpress, a global shopping platform owned by Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd., has signed English soccer star David Beckham as its global brand ambassador, as the Chinese e-commerce giant steps up efforts to expand its international business amid growing competition from Tem, owned by PDD Holdings Ltd.
Under the one-year partnership, announced by AliExpress on Monday, Beckham will star in a series of promotional campaigns across television, internet, social media and traditional media, starting with a TV commercial during the European Football Championship, Euro 2024, which starts on June 14.
AliExpress is a sponsor of this year's event. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Find the answers on SCMP Knowledge, our new platform that provides curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics from our award-winning team.
The move comes after Temu, an Alibaba rival and discount shopping platform that is growing in popularity in international markets, spent millions of dollars on advertising during the past two Super Bowl games, the US National Football League's annual championship game and one of the most expensive nights for advertising.
Alibaba's AliExpress is a sponsor of Euro 2024. Photo: AP Photo alt=Alibaba's AliExpress is a sponsor of Euro 2024. Photo: AP Photo>
Tem entered the European market last year, starting with France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, and is promoting a wide range of low-cost products.
AliExpress' Euro 2024 campaign will give away millions of euros worth of vouchers and free match tickets, the platform announced.
Gary Topp, AliExpress' European commercial director, said the partnership with Beckham “made great sense” as he is a “global sports and lifestyle icon” and will “bring AliExpress users closer to the game throughout the tournament”.
Europe is one of Alibaba's main targets in the e-commerce sector, as the company now offers five-day online shopping delivery services in the United States, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, as well as Germany, France and Portugal, with the support of Alibaba's smart logistics network, Cainiao.
The European Championships, held every four years, is the world's most-watched soccer tournament after the World Cup: Euro 2020 drew 5.2 billion views worldwide during live matches, according to organizers UEFA.
AliExpress has emerged as a key driver of Alibaba's e-commerce business, with the site's revenue growing 45% to 27.4 billion yuan ($3.81 billion) in the March quarter, according to the company's latest financial statement, driven largely by its premium service Choice.
According to the report, total orders on Alibaba's international marketplaces increased 20% in the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.
As part of its global marketing efforts, AliExpress has appointed Chinese actress Tang Wei as a regional brand spokesperson in South Korea, the fast-growing e-commerce market.
The platform also recently introduced new subsidies to encourage more Chinese brands and merchants to sell overseas through AliExpress and Alibaba's other online shopping channels, including Lazada in Southeast Asia, Daraz in South Asia, Miravia in Spain and Trendyol in Turkey.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative news source on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP articles, visit the SCMP app or follow SCMP on Facebook. twitter P a g e Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
