From rural farmers to multimillionaires, millions of people in China are reaping economic opportunities from the growing e-commerce market. One entrepreneur earns $5 million in sales annually from his ladies’ handbag e-commerce business—a far cry from his humble origins. Although his success might be the exception to the norm, many Chinese consumers with similar backgrounds have found jobs working in e-commerce. 

We grew up in a rural area which left us few choices. I never thought about my future or had any belief in it,” the entrepreneur says. At the center of this is Alibaba, an online marketplace founded by entrepreneur Jack Ma in 1999. Jack Ma conceived of an online portal that could connect Chinese manufacturers with buyers from other countries. He chose the name Alibaba because it was globally recognized based upon the famous character in the collection Arabian Nights. Today, this multibillion-dollar company serves more than 600 million customers in 240 nations. Alibaba has held tightly to its top spot in China where non-Chinese e-commerce sites like eBay and Amazon have struggled. Alibaba, with a 47 percent market share in China’s online retail market, has made it more difficult for businesses to compete on price. Ma’s vision for expanding international business includes plans to increase Alibaba’s revenue outside China from 10 percent of total revenues to 50 percent. 

Questions for Discussion

1. What are some of the barriers Alibaba is facing as it expands globally

2. How has Taobao created economic opportunities for Chinese entrepreneurs that were inaccessible to them before

3. Why would the sale of counterfeit products through its sites be damaging to Alibaba