How Alibaba.com is leading the trend for online F&B shows and events
B2B marketplace Alibaba.com is leading the way when it comes to online trade shows and marketplaces for the food and beverage industry.
The Chinese behemoth recently hosted the Global Food and Beverage Selection, an online event featuring 1,600 exhibitors from all over the world. The show, which took place in December 2021, saw more than 282,000 food and beverage products presented, and resulted in procurement orders being placed internationally.
The company’s online food and beverage pavilion spans everything from top-shelf spirits to ice cream cones, and everything in between. With an expansive seafood collection encompassing everything from Norwegian dry fish stock to Vietnamese sea moss, and a baked goods aisle featuring Italian biscotti, Turkish pastries and French millefeuille, the Alibaba culinary marketplace is truly international.
The digital platform has adapted well to meet the needs of a sector that has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. With traffic to restaurants reduced, in-person exhibitions cancelled and logistics severely impacted, the economic impact of virus-related disruption has led to financial losses for food and beverage companies around the world.
Online activity, however, has boomed – with swathes of consumers turning to online shopping, often for the first time. And the trend isn’t limited to consumer retail: according to statistics from the management consultancy company McKinsey, about 70% of B2B decision makers say they are open to making online purchases in excess of US$50,000, and approximately 89% plan to continue making B2B purchases remotely for the medium term.
Alibaba.com is a leading global B2B marketplace that connects millions of buyers and sellers from over 200 countries and regions worldwide.
