Alibaba.com is attempting to both digitize and democratize global trade, and to dramatically expand it from large companies to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). They are starting to enable SMEs to act like MNCs in terms of cross-border transactions. They are developing tools such as a mobile app that lets you search for products globally, and a platform that provides logistics and delivery services.
Baidu, China’s leading search engine, is a “learning platform” that becomes smarter with increased user activity. Founded by Robin Li in 2000, it was designed to cater to search users, webpages, and advertisers. Baidu, like other learning platforms, can serve both human and digital agents, enhancing their service based on the overall and individual user activity.
As businesses grapple with the escalating arms race for online demand, they must devise strategies to capture consumer attention and engagement in the age of digital abundance. The ever-increasing supply of products and services necessitates innovative tactics for customer acquisition, retention, and engagement. This article explores the dynamics of this competition, highlighting the importance of demand-side scale, the role of platform business models, and the criticality of filters and matching for online demand.
I keep an eye on the larger moves by Alibaba. Not the constant stream of announcements and endless initiatives but the larger strategic moves that I think will change the trajectory of the company. This usually means talking with management when I can and following the investor days. A couple of years ago, Maggie Wu […]
I recently met with Rodolfo Chung, CEO of rapidly rising Zé Delivery in Brazil. This is a beverage delivery service that was launched by AB InBev right before Covid – and then took off like a rocket during the lockdown. Basically, it’s a mobile app that lets you order any of 500 SKUs for beer, […]
I wrote about Alibaba’s 5 growth strategies under “Domestic Consumption”. But CEO Daniel Zhang has also outlined 5 growth strategies for Alibaba Cloud. And their cloud business is what everyone has been speculating about. It’s the most exciting growth opportunity but it also has the greatest uncertainty. I’ve argued Alibaba is 100% in the platform […]
One of my favorite articles about platform strategy is a 2020 article by the Boston Consulting Group. It was a really solid investigation of an important question: Why do platform business models fail? Just about about client I talk to about digital strategy and transformation wants to build a platform. Especially retailers who want to […]
I’ve written a lot about Ant Financial because I think it is a cool example of a zero-human operation. It’s has been built from as an AI factory where all the core processes are done by AI and software. It is my standard example of the SMILE Marathon for AI/Machine Learning. But Ant also has […]
This discussion centers on the innovative digital business models developed by Walgreens and Ping An Good Doctor in the healthcare sector. These industry leaders have embraced digital transformation to establish new, compelling business models, each unique in its approach. The analysis will delve into three key areas: the economies of scale and scope, digital superpowers that lend competitive advantage, and the role of AI as a capability and potential learning platform.
A few years ago, I wrote about how Alibaba.com was launching an ambitious global platform strategy around B2B cross-border transactions. Alibaba.com was attempting to build a marketplace platform that digitized and democratized global trade. It was a sweeping vision. Basically, they were creating digital tools and connections that enabled SMEs to buy and sell products […]