Company Overview
Alibaba Group makes it easy for anyone to buy or sell online anywhere in the world. It is a family of Internet-based businesses that includes business-to-business international trade, online retail and payment platforms and data-centric cloud computing services. The Group was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, a pioneer who has aspired to help make the Internet accessible, trustworthy and beneficial for everyone. The privately held Alibaba Group reaches Internet users in more than 240 countries and regions, and employs close to 18,000 people in more than 60 cities in Greater China, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Companies in Alibaba Group are:
Alibaba.com - Global leader in e-commerce for small businesses
Alibaba.com (HKSE: 1688) (1688.HK) is the global leader in e-commerce for small businesses and the flagship company of Alibaba Group.
Founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, Alibaba.com makes it easy for millions of buyers and suppliers around the world to do business online through three marketplaces: a global trade platform (www.alibaba.com) for importers and exporters; a Chinese platform (www.1688.com) for domestic trade in China; and, through an associated company, a Japanese platform (www.alibaba.co.jp) facilitating trade to and from Japan. In addition, Alibaba.com offers a wholesale platform on the global site (www.aliexpress.com) geared for smaller buyers seeking fast shipment of small quantities of goods. Together, these marketplaces form a community of more than 50 million registered users in more than 240 countries and regions. Alibaba.com also offers business management software and Internet infrastructure services targeting businesses across China, and provides educational services to incubate enterprise management and e-commerce professionals. Alibaba.com has offices in more than 60 cities across Greater China, Japan, Korea, Europe and the United States.
Alibaba.com completed its US$1.7 billion initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in November 2007, the biggest Internet IPO at the time since Google's 2004 offering on the NASDAQ.
Taobao - China's largest Internet retail website and one-stop platform for shopping, socializing and information sharing
Launched in 2003, Taobao (www.taobao.com) is the largest Internet retail website in China. It provides the most comprehensive product offering and served more than 190 million registered users as of April 28, 2010.
In 2009, Taobao introduced a series of features and services to further enhance customer experience on the platform. These developments include the launch of Taojianghu, a social networking service; the introduction of Taobao Open Platform, which welcomes third-party developers to create applications for Taobao members; and the integration of Koubei.com to further extend lifestyle guide services on Taobao.
Transaction volume on Taobao (gross merchandise volume or GMV) exceeded RMB200 billion (US$29 billion) in 2009. According to government statistics, online retail equaled approximately 1.98 percent of China's total retail trade in 2009. Taobao is the primary online shopping destination for the largest online population in the world.*
Platforms within Taobao include Alimama (www.alimama.com), an online advertising exchange and affiliate network for hundreds of thousands of publishers in China, and Koubei.com (www.koubei.com), China’s leading classified listing website.
Taobao is wholly owned by Alibaba Group.
* According to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China had 384 million Internet users as of December 31, 2009.
Alipay - China's leading third-party online payment platform
Alipay (www.alipay.com) is the leading third-party online payment platform with the biggest market share in China*. It provides an easy, safe and secure way for millions of individuals and businesses to make and receive payments on the Internet. As of March 2010, It had more than 300 million registered users.
Alipay provides an escrow payment service that reduces transaction risk for online consumers. Shoppers have the ability to verify whether they are happy with goods they have purchased before releasing funds to the seller. Alipay was a key catalyst in the growth of the online retail market in China from RMB1 billion (US$146 million) in GMV in 2003 to RMB248 billion (US$36 billion) in GMV in 2009*.
Alipay partners with more than 65 financial institutions across China and Visa to provide payment solutions for more than 460,000 Chinese businesses. It also offers an online payment solution to help merchants worldwide sell directly to consumers in China. It now cooperates with more than 300 businesses outside mainland China and supports transactions in 12 major foreign currencies.
* iResearch China Internet Market Annual Review Report 2009: iResearch Consulting Group.
** iResearch China Internet Market Annual Review Report 2009: iResearch Consulting Group.
Alibaba Cloud Computing - Developer of advanced data-centric cloud computing services
Alibaba Cloud Computing was established in September 2009 with the mission of building an advanced data-centric cloud computing service platform. The company is committed to supporting the growth of Alibaba Group and the whole e-commerce ecosystem by providing a comprehensive suite of Internet-based computing services, which include e-commerce data mining, high-speed massive e-commerce data processing, and data customization.
Alibaba Cloud Computing is wholly owned by Alibaba Group.
China Yahoo! - One of China's leading Internet portals
Alibaba Group acquired China Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com.cn) in October 2005 as part of its strategic partnership with Yahoo! Inc. China Yahoo! is one of the leading Chinese-language portals offering search, email and an enhanced focus on entertainment content.
China Yahoo! is wholly owned by Alibaba Group.
History & Milestones
| 1999 |
Alibaba Group is officially established by its 18 founders, led by Jack Ma, working out of a Hangzhou apartment. |
| 1999-2000 |
Alibaba Group raises US$25 million from Softbank, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, and other institutions. |
| 2002 |
Alibaba.com becomes profitable. |
| 2003 |
Consumer e-commerce website Taobao is founded, again in Jack Ma's apartment. |
| 2004 |
Online payment system Alipay is launched. |
| 2005 |
Alibaba Group forms a strategic partnership with Yahoo! Inc. and takes over the operation of China Yahoo!. |
| 2006 |
Alibaba Group makes a strategic investment in Koubei.com. |
| 2007 |
Internet-based business software company Alisoft is launched. (January)
Alibaba.com Limited lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. (November)
Alibaba Group launches Alimama, an online advertising exchange company. (November)
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| 2008 |
Koubei.com is merged with China Yahoo! to form Yahoo! Koubei. (June)
Alimama is integrated with Taobao. (September)
Alibaba Group R&D Institute is established. (September)
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| 2009 |
Alisoft is merged with Alibaba Group R&D Institute. (July)
Alisoft's Business Management Software division is injected into Alibaba.com. (August)
Koubei.com is injected into Taobao as part of the "Big Taobao" strategy, which positions Taobao as a one-stop e-commerce service provider to promote wider use of e-commerce among consumers. (August)
Alibaba Cloud Computing is established in conjunction with Alibaba Group's 10th anniversary celebration. (September) |
| 2010 |
Alibaba Group creates a cross-business team comprising senior managers from Taobao, Alipay, Alibaba Cloud Computing and China Yahoo! to execute a full-scale roll-out of the "Big Taobao" strategy. (March)
Alibaba Group announces that it will begin in 2010 to earmark 0.3 percent of annual revenues to fund efforts designed to spur environmental awareness and conservation in China and around the world. (May) |
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