Alibaba concludes B2B e-commerce training for Malaysian SMEs

The Chinese e-commerce giant is keen on owning a sizeable stake but has no interest in exerting control over the artificial intelligence startup, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing a private deal.

KUALA LUMPUR: Alibaba Group has concluded its two-week B2B e-commerce training programme in Malaysia, which aimed to provide Malaysian SMEs with the knowledge and tools to succeed in global trade.

The programme was offered by Alibaba Business School, conducted by the B2B platform Alibaba.com and supported by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).

More than 330 Malaysian SMEs participated in the training programme which was held across nine major cities throughout Malaysia over the past two weeks.

The training programme was the latest showcase in the realisation of the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) pilot at the Digital Free Trade Zone in Malaysia.

The two-week programme provided capacity building for Malaysian SMEs on all things e-commerce, from effective ways to market their products on the online platform, logistics and payment systems management, to how to best capture consumer preferences. 

The courses were conducted by B2B e-commerce experts from Alibaba.com, the leading wholesale marketplace for global trade under the Alibaba Group, and targeted local SMEs from various industries, ranging from food and beverage, furniture, cosmetics to machinery.

“The programme was another key step in enhancing the global competitiveness of Malaysian SMEs, building on the one-stop solution platform recently launched in Malaysia under the eWTP initiative to allow easier trade for SMEs between China and Malaysia as well as globally,” said Terry Jiang, eWTP Malaysia B2B Project Director and Assistant to President of Wholesale Marketplaces, Alibaba Group. 

“The training on ways to leverage this platform will enable more small and medium Malaysian businesses to buy globally and sell globally in a more cost-efficient way.