This episode of Alicast takes you behind the scenes of Alibaba’s groundbreaking new Shanghai campus, a visionary project designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners. Known for iconic creations like Apple Park and the Gherkin, Foster + Partners has once again redefined workplace design, creating a space that blends transparency, innovation, sustainability, and community.

The guest host is Jinglu, an architect who brings her expertise to uncover the story behind this extraordinary project. She is joined by Jeremy Kim and Yu Zheng, partners at Foster + Partners, who share their insights into the design and construction of this campus. Together, they explore how the bold vision of “See and Be Seen” inspired a design that breaks traditional office boundaries.

As Jeremy Kim aptly puts it, this campus is “designed to enhance collaboration, well-being, and innovation for generations to come.” Join us as we dive into the architectural, engineering, and cultural significance of Alibaba’s new Shanghai campus—a building that’s not just a workspace, but a statement about the future of work itself. 

In this episode of Alicast, host Selina Zhang takes us inside Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming global business operations. 

Joining the conversation is Kaifu Zhang, Vice President and Head of AI Initiatives at Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC). From empowering small merchants with AI-driven translation, marketing, and customer service tools to reimagining global trade through multimodal models and personalized products, Kaifu reveals how Alibaba’s platforms like Aliexpress, Lazada, and etc are shaping the future of e-commerce. 

With exciting insights into the next wave of AI innovation, this episode offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the tools making entrepreneurship more accessible and commerce more seamless. 

Tune in to learn how AI will influence business operations in the next decade—and why the smallest enterprises may benefit the most.

As shoppers increasingly lean on generative AI to answer questions and refine their searches, they will expect merchants, brands and marketplaces to keep pace.

In this episode of Alicast, join Alizila’s Managing Editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd, as she asks Hong Kong-based Herbert Yum, a Research Manager at consultancy Euromonitor International, how he sees changes in technology and consumer behavior impacting retailers. 

Tune in to this conversation to learn what’s in store for e-commerce in 2024, the Lunar New Year of the Wood Dragon, and beyond!

Alibaba Group and the world's largest cosmetics company L'Oréal have joined forces in a three-year partnership to promote a circular economy within China's beauty industry. 

This collaboration was announced in Beijing last month during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the country.

In this episode of Alicast, join Alizila's Managing Editor, Alison Tudor-Ackroyd, as she speaks with Janet Neo, L'Oréal's Chief Sustainability Officer for North Asia & China. 

Tune in to this conversation to learn about the importance of sustainability in the beauty industry and the challenges Alibaba and L'Oréal are tackling together.

E-commerce has steadily grown as a percentage of total retail sales in China. We spoke to consultants at Bain & Co to hear if the trend will continue into next year.

Worried about staying one step ahead of your competitors in China? Bain also counseled brands on how to keep their edge. 

Tune into this, the second part of our wide-ranging discussion with James Yang, a partner at consultancy Bain, for advice on mastering the defining trends in the world’s second-largest retail market.  

In this episode of Alicast, Yang offered his insights into overcoming supply chain snarl-ups as well as speeding up product development.

Retail expert David Roth joined Alicast to discuss about the latest e-commerce trends in China, the world’s second-largest e-commerce market.

David, CEO of retail practice The Store-WPP and Chairman of consultancy WPP BAV, spoke about the evolution of the retail industry in China. London-headquartered communications group, WPP, is at the forefront of advising global brands on navigating markets and absorbing cutting-edge technology. 

“If you really want to see the future of technology, of retail, of the combination between on-and-offline is, then China is the place to have a look,” said David.

Alicast spoke to David on the eve of the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world’s largest retail event. 

Brands are rethinking their marketing tactics in China, as the world’s second-largest retail market matures and customer behavior evolves.

Instead of chasing growth through discounting drives, brands are turning to customer membership programs to generate revenue over the long term, according to a new report by consultancy Bain & Co.

We sat down with one of the report’s authors, Bain Partner James Yang, to discuss what makes a winning loyalty program.

James draws on examples from global marquee brands such as Costco, an American multinational corporation that operates membership-only big-box retail stores, French beauty products retailer Sephora and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s 88VIP program to illustrate how brands should design rewards programs. 

Niche luxury fashion houses are expanding in China, using digital tools to build a loyal following in the world’s second-largest economy. 

In this episode of Alicast, we speak to Scandinavian fashion house Filippa K’s CEO Rikard Frost about connecting with Chinese consumers.

A Swedish native, Frost joined Filippa K last year with a mission to reboot Filippa K for the post-pandemic landscape using his experience in e-commerce.

Frost spent over a decade leading the digital transformation of Acne Studios from a local denim brand to an international fashion house. He went on to become Alexander Wang’s Chief Consumer Officer based in New York.

Alibaba Group will offer Chinese consumers the most diverse range of products on record during this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, the world’s largest retail event.

This year’s 11.11, also known as Double 11 or Single’s Day in China, will feature over 290,000 brands from more than 90 countries and regions. There will be 17 million products on offer to over 1 billion consumers shopping on Alibaba’s marketplaces in China.

In this episode of Alicast, we’re joined by Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group to talk about the latest e-commerce trends coming out of China and how global brands can best leverage 11.11 to build lasting connections with consumers. 

Nanushka, one of fashion’s fastest-growing brands, is out to make a big splash in China, targeting nine stores across the world’s second-largest economy by 2026.

The Budapest-based fashion house also launched on Alibaba Group’s business-to-consumer marketplace Tmall and opened a store in Shanghai in October.

In this episode of Alicast, we’re joined by Péter Baldaszti, the co-founder and CEO of Nanushka and fashion investment platform Vanguards Group to talk about his China vision.