On November 23, Alibaba’s Taotian Group, under its Taobao Food and Fresh Produce sector and Taobao Live, successfully held the “Food and Fresh Produce Industry On-Site Visit – Dandong Donggang Station” 2023 Taobao Live Food and Fresh Produce Industry Belt National Recruitment Conference in Donggang, Dandong, Liaoning, a key production area for strawberries and fresh produce in China.
This recruitment conference coincided with the strategic efforts to decisively win the “Liaoshen Campaign” for the revitalization of Northeast China and Liaoning Province in the new era. It also aimed to thoroughly implement the national directives on promoting the development of food and fresh produce industry belts through e-commerce platforms, thereby supporting rural revitalization. The event sought to enhance public awareness of the high-quality products from the Dandong food and fresh produce industry belt and to promote the vigorous development of this sector, turning it into a leading industry that drives rural revitalization. The event received strong support and attention from government departments such as the Donggang Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Donggang Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as well as from organizations like the Donggang E-commerce Association and the Donggang Strawberry Association. Key participants included Mr. Muyan, Head of Alibaba’s Taobao Fresh Produce Industry; Mr. Shuyang, Head of Taobao Tmall Fresh Produce Recruitment; and Mr. Zhoumu, Head of Taobao Live’s Northeast Region. The event was covered by mainstream media from Dandong and Donggang, and attended by 85 industry clients from the national food and fresh produce industry belt and 8 MCN (Multi-Channel Network) organizations, facilitating exchanges and fostering win-win cooperation.
At the estuary of the Yalu River, along the coast of the Yellow Sea, the warm sea breeze meets the cold, humid air from the mountains, bringing abundant rainfall to this land. Thanks to its unique natural conditions, Donggang, a county-level city in Dandong, Liaoning Province, located at the northernmost tip of China’s coastline, has grown from planting 7 strawberry plants in 1924 to developing nearly 200,000 acres of strawberry greenhouses over the course of nearly a century, becoming the largest strawberry production and export base in China.
In recent years, Donggang’s food, fresh produce, and agricultural industry belt have focused on implementing a high-quality brand cultivation plan. Donggang has set dual goals of achieving a century-old strawberry industry and a hundred-billion-yuan output value, combining market-driven approaches with government support, quality with efficiency, and uniqueness with standardization. The city has increased policy support, improved supporting infrastructure and services, created brands through unique characteristics, developed brands through standards, and strengthened brands through marketing. By telling the story of its brands, Donggang has enhanced their recognition, reputation, and competitiveness, building a “1+N” brand system and creating a prosperous agricultural industry. This approach has explored a new path for enriching farmers through e-commerce market expansion and premium product value enhancement.
Looking at the broader food and fresh produce e-commerce industry, the market has expanded continuously in recent years as national living standards have improved and concerns over food safety have grown. Statistics show that the market size of China’s fresh produce e-commerce reached 850 billion yuan in 2020 and is expected to grow to 2.7 trillion yuan by 2026.
Major players in the fresh produce e-commerce market include e-commerce platforms, logistics companies, supermarkets, and agricultural producers. E-commerce platforms like Alibaba’s Hema Fresh and Tmall Fresh hold a dominant market position. In addition, logistics companies such as SF Express and supermarkets like Yonghui Supermarket are also actively expanding into the fresh produce e-commerce sector. Competition among these players is intense, primarily focusing on price, quality, delivery speed, and user experience.
As we enter 2023, the food and fresh produce e-commerce market is expected to have significant growth potential, with the market size continuing to expand. With technological advancements and strengthened policy support, fresh produce e-commerce will usher in new development opportunities.
With the comprehensive upgrading of consumption and the emergence of new trends in pet care, the demand for fresh produce in daily life has extended to emotional care, with fresh produce increasingly seen as a source of emotional companionship within households. The trend of “luxury” pet care is becoming mainstream. According to a 2023 consumer survey by “Euromonitor International” of Chinese pet owners, 63% of consumers believe that “fresh produce is one of the closest family members.” This has also led to the emergence of a series of related industries, such as fresh produce healthcare, beauty, pet boarding, and insurance, significantly promoting the development of the fresh produce economy.
In the online food and fresh produce live-streaming sales field, Taobao’s food and fresh produce sector and Taobao Live have increased investments in professional operations staff, traffic support, precise customer acquisition, and peripheral resources for fresh produce. They have also made significant efforts in standardizing sales and updating related backend rules. Additionally, leveraging Alibaba’s years of experience and technological development, they have achieved real-time monitoring of fresh produce online sales and full logistics transportation, adopting high-standard auditing mechanisms, specialized fresh produce category rules, and industry-leading traffic algorithms. These measures not only protect buyers but also safeguard the interests of sellers. In terms of after-sales service, Alibaba has increased its dedicated customer service personnel for the food and fresh produce industry to ensure timely responses to inquiries from merchants and customers and to address their needs promptly.
Relying on the advantages of the food and fresh produce production area in Donggang, Dandong, Taobao’s food and fresh produce sector, and Taobao Live’s professional online standardized sales solutions, standardized after-sales service capabilities, and Alibaba’s efficient, pragmatic, professional, and innovative work attitude, combined with a ground team that is technologically advanced, forward-looking, information-driven, and standardized, are well-positioned to provide strong support. With the strong backing of the Donggang government and various associations and organizations, and the active cooperation of food and fresh produce industry belt practitioners and e-commerce partners, Donggang’s food and fresh produce sector is sure to reach new heights and achieve greater success!
Post time: Aug-29-2024