Alibaba sold its U.S. e-commerce portal 11Main to rival OpenSky. (Photo : Reuters)
As demands on imports rise, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is seeking business opportunities in Latin America. It particularly eyes Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, the firm said on Saturday.
Alibaba's International E-commerce Business Development for the Americas head, Sherri Wu, told Xinhua that Chinese consumers are eager to purchase Latin American items, such as fresh produce.
"Right now people love this food. Last month we sold over 10,000 orders [of avocado] through our channels and we would love to have more to offer to our customers," Wu remarked.
Alibaba has been selling Mexican avocados through Tmall.com, the e-commerce firm's business-to-consumer online shopping portal.
"We saw that avocado was a big success in 2014," Wu stated, adding that Argentine prawns and Chilean cherries have also shared the same success through the same platform.
China's middle class has been interested with quality products from foreign countries, providing opportunities for a demand increase in "exotic" food in the country.
According to Alibaba, importing Latin American food in China is the initial step in doing business in the area. Wu said that the firm is working on deepening its ties with Mexican, Argentinian and Brazilian suppliers.
Since its listing in the U.S. stock market in September last year, Alibaba has set globalization as its prime goal.
Furthermore, Alibaba has also launched "South Korea Pavillion" in May. It is the first online country pavilion on Tmall.com assisting South Korean merchants to make a foray into the Chinese market.
The e-commerce giant is also set to expand its deals with South Korean firms involved in cross-border logistic venture.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma has been adamant in promoting its marketplaces to U.S.-based small business owners and entrepreneurs.
In a Wall Street Journal comment piece, he stated that there is a massive opportunity in China for U.S. online retailers, citing that the country's middle class may double in seven years. Currently, the figure is "as large as the entire U.S. population."
