Alibaba Group has welcomed seven leading Chinese e-commerce influencers to Australia to endorse the nation’s products and lifestyle to Chinese consumers.
The tour, supported by brands Swisse, Sanitarium, Brown Brothers, Mackas Beef, and Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, will be documented on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Youku, and is designed to create higher demand for local exporters.
The seven influencers have been picked from Alibaba Passport (APASS), a more than 100,000-strong member group of greatly active Chinese consumers who spend more than US$35,000 across Alibaba’s platforms yearly.
The APASS members are also joined by major online personalities, Anthony and Adam&Eve, who each have around three million followers on Weibo, and Chinese supermodel and designer, Mary Ma.
Throughout the 11-day tour of Australia, the influencers will visit the Brown Brothers winery in Victoria’s King Valley, and receive a product introduction to Nutri-Brex.
The tour will also include visits to Macka’s Australian Black Angus Beef facility near Newcastle, Ostelin on the Gold Coast, Swisse in Melbourne and a lunch hosted by Alibaba ambassador and founder of Jessica’s Suitcase Tmall Global store, Jessica Rudd.
Maggie Zhou, managing director of Alibaba Australia and New Zealand, said that the tour is a chance to showcase the country’s world-class lifestyle to their strongest asset, China.
“Chinese shoppers are very interested in what celebrities and influencers are buying, what they are doing, what they are eating, and what they wear,” she said.
“People also want to try new brands and have someone they know recommend it to them. This is part of a broader desire for lifestyle changes in China, which Australia can be at the heart of.”
APASS member Qing Cheng said the way Chinese consumers learn about brands and shop has been completely revolutionised by the internet.
“From halfway across the world, you can now understand where a product is sourced, how it is made and which of your favourite celebrities use it,” he said.
“Increased knowledge has led to a thirst for quality, and visiting Australia this week will let me report back to my followers on which brands are innovating and offering something unique.”
