IT News on September 30th: According to a report by The Information today, Alibaba's cross-border e-commerce platform "Alibaba Global Trade Platform" ( AliExpress ) is testing a brand-new Elite VIP membership program.
According to informed sources, Elite VIP adopts an invitation-only system, targeting only customers with an annual consumption of over $800 (Note from IT: the current exchange rate is approximately 5,374 RMB).
Unlike Amazon's Prime paid subscription model, this plan does not charge an additional membership fee. Member benefits include a substantial 95% discount on a wide range of products, 24/7 online customer service, and a convenient return policy. This plan is currently being piloted in Australia, the UK, Germany, and Spain. The platform plans to expand to more European markets as well as the Korean market next month.
Insiders said that AliExpress also plans to introduce Elite VIP to the US market, but the exact timing has not yet been determined. The platform internally predicts that the membership of Elite is expected to reach 1 million by the end of this year.
In addition, Alibaba AliExpress is also preparing to introduce other measures to attract users who are already accustomed to placing orders on Amazon. For example, it plans to pilot same-day delivery in European cities with well-established logistics infrastructure such as Madrid, Paris, and Warsaw, giving priority to products shipped from local warehouses. People familiar with the matter say that the platform is considering expanding same-day delivery to more markets.
According to the data disclosed by companies in accordance with the EU Digital Services Act, as of June, AliExpress had 157.6 million monthly active users in Europe, while Amazon had 193.9 million monthly active users in Europe. AliExpress achieved operating profits in the quarter ending June. The international e-commerce segment of Alibaba, which includes AliExpress and Southeast Asian e-commerce Lazada, reported revenue of $4.09 billion (approximately 27.476 billion yuan at current exchange rates) for that quarter, a slight decrease of 1% year-on-year.
