MelbourneIT and Alibaba thick as thieves in new partnership

Peter Dinham
Wednesday, 29 July 2009 14:07

Business IT - Technology

Business-to-business e-commerce website, Alibaba and web hosting and Internet service group, MelbourneIT, have formed a partnership to launch a service for Australian export-oriented small businesses trading with companies around the world.

Under the so-called gold supplier international edition agreement, Australian suppliers of goods and services will be able to market their products to Alibaba.com’s eight million registered users globally. MelbourneIT is Alibaba’s key Australian reseller.

The two companies have launched the service at a time, according to Alibaba, when there’s a surge in interest in Australian products. Trade data recorded by Alibaba.com shows reflects strong growth in demand for Australian goods and services for the first quarter of this year, with nearly 220 percent growth year on year.

Alibaba says overseas buyers have logged a significant increase in inquiries to Australian small businesses listed on its international platform, with the trade data showing that the number one source of inquiries is from Chinese companies, which account for 30 percent of all inquiries to local suppliers on Alibaba.com.   According to Alibaba this represents a 50 percent increase year over year, followed by India and the US, which are accounting for respectively 11 percent and eight percent of all trade inquiries.

The e-commerce company also says that Chinese purchase inquires to Australian SMBs increased more than 360 percent over the last 12 months on the B2B platform, with demand strongest in the food and beverage category.

MelbourneIT CEO and managing director, Theo Hnarakis, said members of the gold supplier international edition enjoy enhanced features, including first-level priority listings with a gold supplier logo and unlimited online product showcases.

Hnarakis, said Australian SMBs can join Alibaba.com as gold supplier members via Melbourne IT from this month, to maximise their exposure to overseas buyers, receiving local support as they develop opportunities in their international market.

“Melbourne IT continues to help businesses grow and build sales in the most effective ways possible. In partnership with Alibaba.com we are helping Australian SMBs find buyers from around the globe.

“The improved service will provide real time data on buyer trends, helping Australian businesses to identify where the opportunities for growth lie.”