Alibaba showcases local fruit

Alibaba showcases local fruit

Fresh durian and seasonal fruit from Thailand are on offer during China's biggest online shopping event, Tmall 6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival.
Fresh durian and seasonal fruit from Thailand are on offer during China's biggest online shopping event, Tmall 6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival.

Seasonal Thai fruit should receive a boost from Alibaba's mid-year online sale, China's biggest online shopping event since the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Imported fresh food and other Thai delicacies will be offered during this year's Tmall "6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival" for the first time via its country flagship stores on Tmall, Alibaba's B2C e-commerce platform.

The Thai food flagship store on Tmall, operated by the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) under the Commerce Ministry, showcases a selection of Thai food, beverages and fresh food products as well as promotional offerings.

"This is our first time taking part in Tmall's big mid-year festival as a country. We hope to present some of Thailand's best fruit, food and beverage products to Chinese consumers, while also building their understanding of the uniqueness of Thai products," said Somdet Susomboon, director-general of DITP.

As part of its effort to help the Thai fruit industry through marketing during the Covid-19 stagnation, the government recently facilitated the launch of new rail routes to make it easier for seasonal Thai fruit to arrive in China.

"As online commerce has become popular and an essential channel for retailers to effectively reach consumers in the post-coronavirus era, we have put in extra effort this year to bring together some of the world's best delicacies to Chinese shoppers. We are thankful for DITP's partnership and support to make Thailand's signature food products a hit during the Tmall's festival," said Zhu Xia, managing director of Tmall Food & Fresh.

Aside from the country flagship store, more than 150 Tmall merchants selling Thai fruit and food and beverage products will also play a part in the sale.

Since May, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit have pushed an initiative called "Thai Fruits Golden Months" to promote the sales of Thai fruit both domestically and internationally, particularly in China, which is a major importer.

As part of that campaign, DITP joined hands with Tmall to market Thai fruit to Chinese consumers during this year's sale.

To drive interest and sales for Thai fruit and other delicacies, Mr Jurin will make a special appearance on Taobao Live on June 9 to educate Chinese users about Thai fruit and other speciality food products in an engaging setting to build trust and boost sales of those products.

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