Alibaba’s unknown browser app is dominating Google’s Chrome in emerging markets

Alibaba’s unknown browser app is dominating Google’s Chrome in emerging markets

UC Browser, a mobile browser owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, has become more popular than Google’s Chrome in some of Asia’s fastest-growing markets, according to the Wall Street Journal. Citing data from web analytics firm StatCounter, the paper reported that millions of people in India, Indonesia and other emerging markets getting online for […]

Alibaba’s Alipay pilots facial recognition payment technology at KFC in China

Alibaba’s Alipay pilots facial recognition payment technology at KFC in China

China has become the first nation to embrace facial recognition technology to authorise digital payments following an innovative play by Alibaba to ease queues in local KFC restaurants. The so-called ‘smile to pay’ service has been introduced in the city of Huangzhou as part of a trial with the chicken chain to boost the customer […]

Alibaba’s Mobile Engagement is Exploding Thanks to AI

Alibaba’s Mobile Engagement is Exploding Thanks to AI

Customers usually go on shopping apps to search for what they want to buy, but Alibaba also wants to tell them what they want to buy with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The strategy seems to been working, as Alibaba has seen a surge in mobile engagement during the first quarter of 2017. The […]

Chinese Mobile Payment Service Alipay to Launch in the US

Chinese Mobile Payment Service Alipay to Launch in the US

Alibaba’s third-party online payment platform Alipay has expanded to the US through an agreement with First Data, a payment technology solutions company. The agreement means customers using Alipay will be able to use the mobile payment service at around 4m US businesses. The implementation of Alipay will begin with First Data’s clients that use its […]

Alibaba set to make $24 billion from mobile adverts by 2019, according to new report

Alibaba set to make $24 billion from mobile adverts by 2019, according to new report

E-commerce site Alibaba took 40.3 percent of all money brands spent on mobile advertising in China in 2016, equivalent to $11 billion, according to new figures. Search engine Baidu received almost 20 percent of mobile ad spend last year ($5.5 billion), while social network Tencent got 11.6 percent ($3.2 billion), according to online reports from […]

JD.com, Zebra Technologies & Digital China team to unveil IoT and eCommerce Logistics Lab

JD.com, Zebra Technologies & Digital China team to unveil IoT and eCommerce Logistics Lab

Alibaba’s eCommerce rival JD.com (Jingdong Group) has joined forces with Zebra Technologies, a manufacturer of marking, tracking and computer printing technologies, and Chinese integrated IT service provider Digital China, to develop a lab dedicated to the internet of things (IoT) and eCommerce logistics. The ‘IoT + E-commerce Logistics Lab’ is in Beijing’s Shunyi district. The […]

Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent dominate China’s red-hot digital advertising market

Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent dominate China’s red-hot digital advertising market

Alibaba Group Holding, the world’s largest e-commerce services provider, is poised to extend its lead in China’s fast-growing mobile advertising market with forecast revenue of US$14.6 billion this year, as total spending on digital campaigns in the mainland hits a new record high. Digital advertising expenditure in the mainland is predicted to rise 27 per […]

Alibaba dethrones Baidu in China’s digital advertising market

Alibaba dethrones Baidu in China’s digital advertising market

China’s digital advertising market is on a tear. Mobile advertising is witnessing double digit growth rates, according to eMarketer, but not everyone is in for a win this year. The market research firm has revised its forecast for Baidu’s digital ad revenues, citing negative press after an investigation was opened into the search giant’s practices, […]