AS the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping and created a surge in cross-border e-commerce imports in China, e-commerce platforms are bringing global brands closer to the world’s most promising consumer market.

On the first day of the China International Consumer Products Expo, Tmall Global, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s online marketplace, held four livestreaming sessions to promote products, each garnering more than 1 million viewers.

At the four-day expo, Tmall Global has showcased products of over 100 foreign brands, ranging from cosmetics, to smart devices for pets and imported wine.

Amid the pandemic, cross-border e-commerce has become an important platform for brands from home and abroad to release their new products. Over 100 brands have signed strategic agreements with Tmall Global, with the aim to sell their new products displayed at the expo via Tmall in the coming year to meet the booming demand of Chinese customers.

“The consumer products expo not only serves as an important window to display the progress of the Hainan free trade port construction, but also helps foreign businesses to better understand the Chinese market,” said Marcella Li, head of Global Business Development and Operations at Tmall Global.

Last year, an average of approximately 400 overseas brands opened stores on Tmall Global each month, according to the company. To date, more than 29,000 overseas brands from 87 countries and regions have established storefronts on Tmall Global.

At the expo, JD Worldwide, the platform for imported products of China’s leading retailer JD.com, displayed a number of smart products of domestic and foreign brands.

“With the pandemic keeping Chinese customers from shopping overseas, the demand for international brands in China has increased, and cross-border e-commerce platforms have become their preferred choice,” said Frank Yu, general manager of marketing and operations for JD Worldwide.(Xinhua)