AliExpress expands flights to Brazil and strengthens operations for local sellers

O AliExpress announced this Tuesday (9) that it has expanded from five to six the number of weekly charter flights of goods by China to Brazil and is strengthening its partnerships to offer integrated logistics for local sellers.

The company, controlled by Alibaba, charters 80 weekly flights around the world to transport goods purchased by AliExpress customers in around 220 countries, the president of the marketplace in Brazil, Yan Di, told reporters.

You planes they allow a product to come from China to Brazil in a week, said the executive, a shorter period in some cases, even in relation to products shipped within the country itself.

The executive, who has been in Brazil for two decades, stated that since the company launched in August the option for Brazilian retailers to sell products on the platform, the results “have surpassed expectations”.

The clothing, electronics, home and beauty categories are the main highlights of the operation among local sellers, he said.

AliExpress is currently promoting the “11/11” promotional campaign, known in China as “Single Man’s Day”, while local rivals such as Americanas and Magazine Luiza are announcing promotions in anticipation of the Black Friday, which takes place on the last Friday of this month.

In addition to offering free shipping for “a large part” of the orders, Yan said that AliExpress is allowing local return of products purchased by Brazilian consumers, as well as discounts on goods.

One of the most attention points of investors about the so-called “marketplaces”, online platforms for buying and selling products and services, is the amount charged for each sale, something that has flattened in recent months amid the catapulted e-commerce boom by social isolation measures.

The commercial director of AliExpress in Brazil, Viviane Almeida, stated that the company currently charges a commission of 5% to 8% from sellers. “This is a big step for the seller to become interested in our platform,” said the executive.

According to Yan, the sixth flight contracted by AliExpress to serve the platform’s users in Brazil was not agreed only to meet the 11/11 promotional period, but reflecting the growth trend of business in the country.

“We want to continue to improve the user experience… talking to strategic ‘players’ in this market, including Correios… we are looking at and planning our own infrastructure,” said Yan. “The current trend is for each one to work on their own infrastructure or look at sharing alternatives. We’re talking”.

AliExpress also has a logistics partnership with Pegaki, a technology company that connects carriers, distribution centers, shippers and collection points.