Alibaba Tmall has launched its first English-language website in an effort to attract more international merchants and businesses, making it easier for sellers to capitalise on the demand for international goods in China. 

Tmall already features 700 New Zealand brands on the platform, as well as 2000 Australian brands – with Australian company Chemist Warehouse the number one cross-border store on the global site. 

“We believe the launch of this English-language website will expedite the process for brands and merchants to introduce their products to Chinese consumers,” Tmall Global deputy general manager Yi Qian said. 

“The website will widen our reach to merchants, especially to those medium and small-sized businesses around the world.”

The new site details the solutions Tmall Global offers to merchants entering the China market, as well as step-by-step guides and a pre-screening service to help merchants open a flagship store on Tmall Global.

The marketplace intends to launch other language versions of its site, including Spanish, Japanese and Korean, further expanding its international reach. 

Tmall Global doubled the number of flagship stores on the platform in 2018, and expects to further accelerate that growth rate in 2019.

This story first appeared on sister site, Inside Retail New Zealand.