Introduction
Alibaba.com is one of the world’s leading online B2B marketplaces. With over 40 million active business buyers using Alibaba.com to source for their business, becoming a supplier on the platform is one of the best ways to connect with new business partners — no matter where they are in the world.
This may lead to the question: Just how does one reach all those business buyers? How do I get my products in front of hungry B2B buyers? Here’s our ultimate guide to how to sell on Alibaba.com.
How to Sell on Alibaba.com
Alibaba.com is a B2B marketplace, so you need to first demonstrate that you’re a legitimate business before you can begin selling on Alibaba.com. Here’s how to get started.
1. Open an Alibaba.com seller account
The first step to becoming a supplier on Alibaba.com is to sign up for an Alibaba.com seller account. Navigate to our pricing page and select the seller plan that works best for you and your business. Currently, Alibaba.com provides quarterly and annual plans. This flexibility allows you to prioritize your business’s needs.
2. Get your business verified
After selecting your Alibaba.com seller plan and submitting payment, you must go through the Business Verification (BV) process. BV establishes both an authorized person of contact as well as the legitimacy of your company. Earning BV helps Alibaba.com’s buyers trust you and increases their desire to do business with you.
Alibaba.com Tip: Alibaba.com is a B2B online marketplace. This means that the active buyers on the platform are looking for legitimate businesses to source from. BV helps suppliers show that they are a safe and reliable business partner to work with.
3. Create your customizable online storefront
One of the most important parts of being an Alibaba.com seller is maintaining your online storefront. This virtual store not only allows you to display your products but also provides valuable information about you, your business, and your business’s capabilities that help wholesale buyers decide whether you’re a suitable future business partner. Additionally, Alibaba.com’s online storefronts are entirely customizable. That means these stores can be designed to resemble the company’s original site, which keeps branding consistent for companies across the board.
Alibaba.com Tip: Getting you ready to sell as fast as possible is one of our top priorities. To give you the best service possible, steps three and four are included in our onboarding service, so you are off to a good start.
4. Upload your products
After establishing your virtual storefront, it’s time to upload your products. To increase your products’ chances to be seen by buyers, post as many products as possible. One perk of selling on Alibaba.com is the ability to post an unlimited amount of products. Having more products gets your store more exposure and may lead to securing more customers as a result. As a seller, you’re able to post products individually or streamline the process with the bulk upload tool. Alibaba.com has an Intelligent Posting system that uses AI to suggest ways to optimize each listing based on the Alibaba.com algorithm and what buyers are searching for on the site.
Alibaba.com Tip: One way to simplify the process is to make sure you have all your assets and copy ready for your product listings before you upload. Consider taking extra care to shoot attractive photos of your products and using copy optimized for relevant keywords that will help attract buyers to your products.
5. Consider designating Keyword Advertising (KWA) spend
The best way to get additional eyes on your products is to use paid advertising via Keyword Advertising (KWA). Set aside a portion of your budget for KWA spending to give your products the boost they need to be noticed by our business buyers. Using KWA, choose keywords where your product will be placed at the top of the search results, guaranteeing more eyes on your product. Your products are also recommended to buyers when they’re simply browsing Alibaba.com. Using KWA greatly increases your chances of winning sales on our online marketplace. Best of all, you can control how much you’d like to spend to avoid going over budget, and you only pay when buyers actually click on your ads.
6. Respond to buyer inquiries — preferably within 24 hours
After you’re done setting up, you’re ready to respond to buyer inquiries! On your product listings, buyers can reach out to Alibaba.com sellers using either the “Contact supplier” or “Chat now” buttons. Once the buyer contacts you, you can message back and forth to negotiate a deal. Because it’s important to us for you to conduct business as you wish, once a buyer connects with you, their contact information is yours — we don’t withhold customer contacts. Choose to stay on the site to build a relationship and conduct business or take things off-site to the platform of your choice. Since buyers are often messaging more than one supplier at a time, it’s pivotal to respond as soon as possible. We have found that there are 30% more follow-up responses from potential buyers if sellers message within four hours, so act fast!
Alibaba.com Tip: To shorten your response time even more, download the AliSuppliers mobile app! Respond to buyer inquiries on the go whenever they come in. Download the app now.
7. Make business partnerships on the RFQ market
In addition to the traditional method of fielding buyer inquiries, Alibaba.com suppliers can also proactively seek out business contacts using Alibaba.com’s Request for Quotation (RFQ) market. In the RFQ market, buyers submit to the Alibaba.com platform rather than to an individual seller. These requests are open for sellers to search and respond to if they are relevant to them. Every day over 500,000 inquiries are posted in the market, which means that there are plenty of business opportunities to be had.
8. Expand your B2B selling your knowledge with ASTE
Once you get started selling, you may want some additional support on how to best use the platform to your advantage. To help provide training for suppliers, we created the Alibaba.com Seller Training E-course (ASTE). The program was designed to help suppliers find success on the platform in year one and beyond. The course includes topics, such as how to make your products convert, how to harness SEO and SEM to your advantage, how to diagnose and optimize underperforming products, and much more. Our team has the expertise and knowledge you need.
Alibaba.com Tip: Do you prefer learning in an interactive environment? Tune in to our live ASTE lessons and ask our team any and all questions you may have.
9. Nurture your seller-buyer relationships with excellent customer service
While buyers may source for products at a low price point, we’ve consistently heard that one major factor that determines whether a buyer will become a repeat consumer is if suppliers offer excellent customer service. Whether that means sending follow-up emails notifying your buyers of great deals and exciting upcoming products or checking up on them after a sale had been made, treating your buyers well and cultivating that relationship can be what convinces them to continue to do business with you, rather than seeking out another seller. Being courteous and prompt can go a long way!
10. Determine your next big move using Alibaba.com data insights
One of the most valuable features that you can tap into as an Alibaba.com member is our metrics and data. Your account comes with a dashboard that visualizes your store’s metrics and historical data and offers intelligent suggestions based on platform information. Additionally, you will gain access to data about your industry and product category and can see which products perform best through demand analysis, trend analysis price comparisons, and more. All this information helps you plan ahead and teaches you what you can do to bolster your business. This data is available exclusively on Alibaba.com.
Alibaba.com Tip: Want to know how these industry trends can help you become a more effective Alibaba.com supplier? Register for our webinars, where we will walk you through how different industries can thrive on our online wholesale marketplace.
Conclusion
Alibaba.com is an amazing resource for sellers to find and connect with buyers. By reading this guide, you can learn how to sell on Alibaba.com and how to make money off Alibaba.com. These basic steps give you an idea of what to expect once you’ve signed up for an Alibaba.com business account, so you can get started with ease.
Ready to launch your online B2B business? Check out Alibaba.com’s membership plans, and choose a plan that suits you and your business. Sign up now for a limited-time offer: our popular FREE onboarding service that makes it easier than ever to start selling on Alibaba.com.
If you still have questions, schedule a call with our team and we’ll be happy to answer what’s on your mind.
