Fast-Tracking International Trade: Selling and Buying on Alibaba.com for SMEs

E-commerce platforms allow SMEs to sell and source products around the globe in a few clicks. That is, in theory. Succeeding in B2B online trade is more complex than first appears. In an intensely competitive environment, sellers need to make it to the top of search results, design impactful campaigns to increase the visibility of their e-shops and products. Buyers have to gain the necessary skills to conduct remote due diligence and find reliable partners.

On 27 February, the EU SME Centre is inviting European SMEs to sharpen their e-commerce skills in a webinar with global e-commerce giant Alibaba.com. During this event, Alibaba.com Europe General Manager Jijay Shen and Marketing Director Michela Rubegni will share their expertise and recommendations, alongside case studies of European SMEs. Francesco Tamburrino, General Manager of Rosso Fine Food Srl, and Fynn Huch, Founder and CEO of Retalos GmbH, will give their perspectives on selling and purchasing on Alibaba.com.

This event is free of charge and open to all small and medium-sized enterprises from EU Member States and countries participating in the Single Market Programme. The webinar will be held in English.

Agenda (Brussels Time)

9:30 – 9:40

Opening remarks
EU SME Centre introduction – Davide Orlandi, EU Partnerships Manager, EU SME Centre
AICE Introduction – David Doninotti, Secretary General, AICE

9:40 – 9:50

B2B Online Trade on Alibaba.com for Sellers and Buyers
Overview of Alibaba.com’s activities in Europe, facts and figures on European SMEs, and new developments in technological infrastructure
Jijay Shen, General Manager, Alibaba.com Europe

9:50 – 10:10

Recommendations for EU SMEs and Case Studies
Identifying reliable B2B partners and support available to SMEs
Michela Rubegni, Marketing Director, Alibaba.com Europe

Case studies on selling and purchasing on Alibaba.com
Francesco Tamburrino, General Manager, Rosso Fine Food Srl
Fynn Huch, Founder and CEO, Retalos GmbH

10:10 – 10:25

Q&A session

10:25 – 10:30

Concluding remarks

Keynote speakers

Jijay Shen

General Manager Europe, Alibaba.com

Jijay Shen serves as General Manager Europe of Alibaba.com, as part of Alibaba Group. Alibaba.com is the leading platform for global wholesale trade, helping millions of buyers and suppliers worldwide.

Previously, Jijay joined Huawei in 2005 and served as R&D Software Engineer, Solution Manager (MENA), Product and Solution Sales Director in Huawei Technologies Deutschland, Sales Director in Huawei Deutschland. Jijay has been CEO of Huawei Technologies Ireland and Chairman of Huawei Technologies Ireland Subsidiary board from 2016 -2020.

Jijay holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Michela Rubegni

Marketing Director, Alibaba.com Europe

Michela Rubegni joined Alibaba Group in June 2020 with the objective of creating from scratch a team capable of developing and managing an integrated marketing and communication strategy aimed at raising awareness in Italy and in the EU of the opportunities and tools of Alibaba.com, the leading B2B e-commerce platform, thus supporting the digitalisation of Italian SMEs.

Michela has more than 10 years’ experience in the marketing field acquired in various multinational companies and sectors. She was Marketing & PR Manager for the German market for the Calzedonia Group, she was in charge of defining communication in the entertainment world for FOX International Channels (sky), and she was responsible for the Italian market for the Marketing and Communication strategy of Zalando, Europe’s number one fashion e-commerce player, from its Berlin HQ.

Francesco Tamburrino

General Manager, Rosso Fine Food Srl

Francesco Tamburrino is the General Manager of Rosso Fine Food Srl, a company founded in 2018 operating in the B2B export market of Italian food & beverage and in the trading of Fast Movement Consumer Goods.

His personal experience matured in the banking branch dedicated to small business and corporate companies to arrive in 2021 at the helm of this start-up, a spin-off of a successful winery, the “Cantina Zaccagnini”, world-famous for its Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine.

Leading resources in digital marketing, foreign trade scouting, back-office and graphics, Francesco and his team were awarded by Alibaba.com in 2021 as ‘BEST PERFORMER’ in the food & beverage branch and leads the Rosso Fine Food showcase, the first Italian company to reach five stars in the platform’s ‘star rating’. In 2021, he participated in and won the ECOMMERCE MASTER COMPETITION, a worldwide competition organised by Alibaba.com.

Fynn Huch

Founder and CEO, Retalos GmbH

Fynn Huch is the Founder and CEO of Retalos GmbH, a Berlin based retail tech company that sells and operates smart vending machines. Fynn has a background in F&B, with experience in purchasing for Germany’s largest food retailer Hamburg, as well as in a field sales agency.

In founding Retalos GmbH, Fynn brought solutions to F&B brands with real time data in the company’s smart vending machines, giving them access to a 24/7 live inventory at supermarket price level as well as sales data. The vending machines, equipped with a touchscreen, offer cashless payment options to consumers and allow brands to showcase their products with short videos. By the end of 2024, Retalos GmbH plans to scale up from 20 machines to a fleet of 200 machines.

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