Alibaba to open its first Australian office

The Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba is ramping up its Australian presence.

The company plans to open its first local office in Melbourne by the end of the year, according to a Tuesday statement. The office will be led by Maggie Zhou as managing director, John O'Loghlen as business development director and James Hudson as director of corporate affairs and marketing.

Famous for its eye-watering Singles' Day event that in 2015 reached 91.2 billion yuan (A$17.9 billion) in sales, the company sold 3 trillion yuan (A$590 billion) in goods in the 2015 financial year.

The Australian setup should assist local brands who use Alibaba's platforms, such as skincare companies Blackmores and Jurlique, move into China.

"With a local office and expanded team, we will be well-positioned to support Australian and New Zealand merchants already on our platforms, as well as new merchants looking to expand into China," Zhou said in the statement. "We have an active consumer base of 423 million across our China retail platforms where they have access to authentic and quality products from countries around the world."

Alibaba Group's president Michael Evans is beginning a roadshow through Australia and New Zealand aimed at encouraging local businesses to consider Alibaba's offerings. In particular, its online marketplaces Tmall and Tmall Global already host around 1,300 Australian brands.

One Australian retailer who has expanded into China through Tmall is Adore Beauty. Launching its Chinese presence in April, Adore Beauty is now selling Australian skincare brands such as evo, Lanolips, asap, Alpha-H, Skinstitut and ELEVEN to Chinese customers.

"We decided a marketplace was the obvious place to be," Adore Beauty founder Kate Morris told Mashable Australia at the time. "You can of course set up your own Chinese language website, but it's much more difficult." 

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