Alibaba.com: Empowering Cross-Border E-Commerce Through Digitalization

Name: Alibaba.com: Empowering Cross-Border E-Commerce Through Digitalization (English version)
SKU: W43974

Lucas Liang Wang, Jianping Liang, Hubert Pun, Jiaqi Li

Product #:W43974

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:General Management, International Business

Setting:China, 2024

Details:Case (PDF) • 12 pages • 2025-04-10

Subjects:

Digital transformation Leadership and managing people Business management Management International business

Geography:

China Asia

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Alibaba was a leading online platform for cross-border business-to-business trading. Founded by Alibaba Group Holding Limited in 1999, the platform was committed to constant digital innovations that enabled registered users to overcome various obstacles in international transactions, encompassing order acquisition, customs clearance, global logistics, cross-border payments, and partner credibility. However, only a small fraction of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) had adopted digitalization in their trading practices. Helping SMEs overcome obstacles in digital transformation was key to Alibaba’s sustained growth. But would continuing to develop digital solutions alone be adequate to sustain it?

Learning Objectives

This case addresses digitalization in international business. It presents both the effective digital solutions an e-commerce platform offers to cross-border trading and the challenges for business vendors (platform users), especially SMEs, to embracing these solutions. After studying the case and working on the assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:

Learn different forms of digital solutions in international trading
Understand the foundations of platform businesses
Identify digital transformation challenges, especially for traditional SMEs
Grasp the sociotechnical nature of digital innovation
Hone capabilities to formulate growth strategies for e-commerce platforms