Alibaba's online market to sponsor 100,000 influencers worldwide

HANGZHOU, May 29 (Xinhua) -- AliExpress, a global online retail marketplace and part of Alibaba Group, announced on Thursday that it will empower over 100,000 content creators and influencers worldwide to bring new jobs and help them generate incomes to recover from the global economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

The program, named "AliExpress Connect," is a platform dedicated to content influencer campaigns. On the platform, influencers and those who want to launch an influencer career can access collaboration opportunities, both with AliExpress and with brands that are selling through the marketplace. In return, they will be rewarded for creating original content that helps brands sell their products and brings new customers to the marketplace.

AliExpress has been working with local influencer agencies in Europe, to nurture influencer talent and create a new business approach that goes beyond the traditional one-off cooperation with brands.

"As e-commerce continues to grow and 'shoppertainment' reshapes the landscape and changes the way people shop online, influencers and content creators are playing a more important role in driving retail transformation and e-commerce success," said Wang Mingqiang, general manager of AliExpress.

"You see this in livestreaming sales, which have become a great source of job creation and income in China, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, when offline businesses were forced to close, and people had to stay at home," Wang said. Enditem