Amazon Invades Alibaba’s Space with Tmall Store

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By Jacob Maslow

AlibabaAlibaba (NYSE:BABA) is the giant Chinese e-commerce platform. Besides Alibaba itself, the company runs platforms like Tmall and Taobao. These other platforms support independent retailers. Amazon has sensed an opportunity with Tmall and is now working on opening a store on Alibaba’s turf. This should be quite interesting.

While Americans are in love with imported Chinese products, it is also true that the rising Chinese middle class consumer has quite some fondness for imported goods. This is precisely the market that Amazon is shooting for with its Tmall presence. Amazon’s emphasis would be to feature imported goods as well as selling imported materials that are exclusive to the China market, including clothing from the much respected brand Panama Jack.

It is going to be quite interesting how this pans out. Amazon has tried to open a beachhead in China without much success. Maybe this time around, using an old Chinese platform, it can make some headway. The interesting factor to Amazon’s China strategy is its emphasis on imported goods, as well as goods that are exclusively offered to the Chinese market.

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