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Covid-19 shifts focus to ecommerce in B2C and B2B for consumer electronics

Welcome to the new era of digitized, global trade with Alibaba.com March Expo 2021

The more than $1 trillion global consumer electronics industry has been steadily increasing in revenue over the last few years. But, with 2020’s global pandemic exerting production bottlenecks, vendor shutdowns, and supply chain pressures, Statista’s Consumer Electronics Report estimates a COVID-19-related market revenue decline of six percent. 

Yet hope is on the horizon in 2021 with the promise of vaccines and easing safety restrictions, and retailers are actually preparing for an uptick in sales, and also an uptick in inventory needs. With more consumers spending time at home, innovations in smart home electronics are on the rise. And consumers and businesses are not only seeking more convenience from products but also in how they get their goods. As people are expecting increased levels of convenience and choice in both their personal and business lives, ecommerce is a booming market.

The ecommerce opportunity

This past year, not only did business-to-consumer (B2C), or retail ecommerce surge, but B2B companies also rushed online into the $23.9 trillion global B2B ecommerce market opportunity, which is actually six times larger than B2C ecommerce according to the U.S. International Trade Administration. Consumer electronics manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers are turning to B2B ecommerce platforms like Alibaba.com for a trustworthy way to sell and source in bulk locally and globally. 

Alibaba.com is a leading global B2B trading e-commerce marketplace, with products spanning raw materials, component parts, and a wide range of finished goods.  The platform connects millions of business buyers—think retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers—and suppliers around the world in more than 190 countries and regions across 40 major product categories. Consumer electronics are one of the platform’s most important and well-represented product segments. 

The Alibaba.com marketplace features tools and services that range from translation to logistics to financing, all designed to make doing business online with an unfamiliar partner easy and safe. North America accounts for about 30 percent of buyers on Alibaba.com and is one of the fastest growing segments on the platform. 

“At Alibaba.com we want to help existing and new business buyers get inspired by millions of new products and trends to boost their own businesses in 2021,” said John Caplan, President of Alibaba.com North America and Europe. Right now, Alibaba.com’s March Expo—an annual online trade event connecting millions of buyers and suppliers around the world in—is currently in full swing, offering countless solutions for a changed business world. “With 50,000+ suppliers in more than 40 product categories, not to mention more than 4,000 new livestreamed product launches,” says Caplan, “our annual March Expo is all about the discovery of new products, new supplier relationships and new possibilities for the business buyers.” 

Source now for the summer surge in demand

Sourcing on Alibaba.com, especially during March Expo 2021 when suppliers are livestreaming 24/7, is like perusing thousands of trade show booths that never close, without leaving your desk. The expo features tens of thousands of quality suppliers looking for new partners to create more resilient and diversified supply chains.

March Expo 2021 offers a rich buyer experience on many fronts, starting with industry insights that can give their businesses an edge Alibaba.com puts out 6,000+ data-driven trend sheets throughout the month of March with everything from new electronic trends to consumer shifts to meet changing demand throughout the last year, so businesses can easily and quickly identify the best products for their business.  

For consumer electronics retailers, March Expo 2021 doesn’t just offer new products and trends, but also greater certainty and transparency when managing their payment and logistics through features and promotions such as:

  • New buyers can enjoy up to $100 shipping discounts for their first order with Alibaba.com selected shipping carriers (Terms & Conditions apply)
  • Guaranteed delivery, or the buyer is eligible to claim compensation
  • Delivered Duty Paid, with door-to-door delivery and customs and import duties included in the price
  • Express delivery to more than 200 countries through a network of 37 services, including three charter planes to the U.S. per week, and reliable cargo ship deliveries to 17 countries
  • Buyers from the U.S. and eight other countries also enjoy a free Customs Enquiry Service
  • Convenient payment options that include quick and easy payment processing, with expanded options, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal

Without traveling or leaving their desks, March Expo 2021 participants can connect with, and evaluate suppliers through:

  • Immersive 3D Virtual Home and 3D Showrooms
  • Manufacturing systems and factory tours
  • Live presentations and discounts

Alibaba.com recently introduced a new Elite Partner Event, which is a curated list of high-performance suppliers on the site. One elite partner offering discounts for March Expo is Huion Animation, a top manufacturer of graphic design tablets and pen displays. 

“Each year for March Expo we offer discounts making it a month our customers look forward to,” said Jeny Chan, Ecommerce Director of Huion Animation. “Prior to the pandemic we went to many trade shows to demo our innovations, but the lack of in-person events this year has increased the importance of March Expo for not only us but also for our customers.” 

Alibaba.com’s mission is simple: to make it easy for businesses everywhere to do business anywhere. Through access to new products, advanced digital tools, and strong supply chain relationships, Alibaba.com can help your business thrive – no matter who or where you are.

For more information on Alibaba.com or March Expo, click here.