Bridging the gap between sellers and deal-hungry consumers all over the world, Alibaba Group’s AliExpress stands as a cross-border ecommerce powerhouse. For business owners, marketers, content creators and anyone intending to learn from successful business stories, the history of AliExpress highlights the power of innovation and adaptability.
At Business2Community, we’ve pored over a wide range of sources to deliver a comprehensive account of AliExpress’ rise to prominence in the competitive cross-border ecommerce space. Read on to discover the e-tailer’s key milestones, controversies, and more.
A History of AliExpress – Key Dates
- AliExpress was launched in 2010 as a platform for Chinese manufacturers and distributors to sell to international customers.
- In 2015, the online marketplace had 50 million overseas buyers, a notable 400% increase from 10 million buyers in 2014.
- By 2018, AliExpress had an annual GMV of over $10 billion.
- AliExpress achieved annual sales of over $1 million in 2021.
- As of 2024, the AliExpress mobile app had over 600 million downloads and over 200 million monthly visits across its websites.
Who Owns AliExpress?
AliExpress is owned by the Alibaba Group, a multinational technology company specializing in ecommerce, retail, and technology. AliExpress is located in China and is part of the Alibaba Group’s international ecommerce division.
AliExpress’ journey began in 2010 when Alibaba said “open sesame” to an online marketplace for Chinese companies to sell to international customers. Today, the platform has evolved into so much more. AliExpress facilitates seamless cross-border ecommerce in over 200 countries, serving both consumers and sellers.
Who is the AliExpress CEO?
The CEO of AliExpress is Eddie Wu, who has held the position since September 2023, when he took over from Daniel Zhang. Wu is a co-founder of Alibaba and a member of the Alibaba Partnership.
Since the Alibaba Group’s founding in 1999, he has served as a technology director, chief technology officer, and general manager. Wu’s goal remains to serve customers through Alibaba Group’s unique value proposition, build the future infrastructure of commerce, and ensure that individuals and businesses benefit from the digital economy.
| Period | CEO Name |
|---|---|
| 2010-2019 | Jack Ma |
| 2019-2023 | Daniel Zhang |
| 2023-Present | Eddie Yongming Wu |
Growth and Development of AliExpress
AliExpress is a global marketplace that allows consumers to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China and around the world. Consumers can access the marketplace through the AliExpress mobile app which has over 600 million downloads to date. Alternatively, they can access the platform through the website which sees over 200 million monthly visits. Below, we track AliExpress’ rise to dominance.
2010-2013: AliExpress Launches on Web and Mobile
The Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group launched the official AliExpress website in 2010. Realizing that consumers were increasingly using smartphones throughout the buying journey, AliExpress directed its focus toward developing an accessible mobile platform. In May 2011, AliExpress launched its mobile app, offering buyers and sellers alike a seamless mobile shopping experience.
The AliExpress affiliate program was launched in 201o, in the early days of the business. You can read more about how the program works and if it’s right for your business model in our comprehensive guide.
Expanding payment options for underserved markets, AliExpress partnered with Western Union in July 2011. The move ensured that entrepreneurs with limited payment options in over 160 emerging markets across Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa could rely on cash transactions to sustain their businesses.
Despite a year-long collaboration, PayPal unexpectedly terminated its partnership with AliExpress in August 2012. That same year, AliExpress launched the MarketSafe anti-counterfeiting program in partnership with the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC). The program offered companies an expedited process to target and take down online listings for counterfeit goods.
With the Chinese government encouraging online commerce through various development programs and simplifying the customs clearance of parcels, AliExpress was able to expand, reaching 1 million customers in 2012.
By 2013, this had increased to over 5 million customers, with significant sales volumes across markets in the Middle East and Europe.
2014-2017: AliExpress Pioneers Live Commerce
By the end of 2014, AliExpress was Russia’s leading ecommerce company in terms of traffic. It was also the tenth most popular website in the country.
Notably, the AliExpress app was downloaded more than 5 million times on the Google Play store and had more than 260,000 user reviews and an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Taking a firm stance against IPR offenders, the ecommerce platform strengthened its measures by introducing the Three-Strikes-and-You’re-Out enforcement policy. The policy was aimed at sellers of counterfeit merchandise and merchants who attempted to evade automated or human detection through look-alikes and modified trademarks.
In 2015, AliExpress celebrated its 5th anniversary with a significant milestone of 50 million overseas buyers. This was a notable 400% increase from 10 million buyers in 2014. The company also ventured into the lucrative Indonesian market. As of 2016, AliExpress became the first foreign company to accept Russia’s national card payment system, The Mir.
Despite plans to challenge Amazon for global dominance, AliExpress’ slow delivery times of up to 60 days stifled the e-tailer’s growth in key markets like the US and UK.
March 2017 saw the launch of AliExpress LIVE, a live ecommerce video service allowing customers to buy displayed goods instantly. AliExpress was the first global marketplace to offer such a service and started with 68 participants, 20 of whom were based in Russia, where AliExpress was the number one ecommerce platform at the time.
2018-2020: AliExpress Strengthens its Global Presence
With a market share of over 50% in Russia in 2018, AliExpress set its sights on South Korea. The company invested over $70 million to start operations in the fourth-largest ecommerce market in the world. By the end of 2018, the platform had:
- A cumulative total of 150 million overseas buyers
- Over 2.5 billion product listings
- An annual gross merchandise volume (GMV) of over $10 billion
- 79 million annual active consumers, 60% under 35 years old
- Presence in 200 countries and regions
- A 96% handling rate for takedown requests within 24 hours
In early 2019, AliExpress opened up its platform to merchant stores from several pilot markets outside of China such as Russia, Spain, Italy, and Turkey. To help influencers worldwide scale their businesses, AliExpress launched the AliExpress Connect in May 2019. The platform allowed influencers to generate income through partnering with AliExpress and advertising for brands.
In an effort to boost seller engagement, AliExpress launched a new version of its in-app live-streaming feature in July 2019. The move went on to draw in global audiences of nearly 30 million and more than 60 million interactions.
Meanwhile in Madrid, Spain, AliExpress opened its first physical store, AliExpress Plaza, in the Xanadú Mall. In Asia, a joint venture with Mail.ru and Megafon called AliExpress Russia JV was finalized to provide ecommerce services in Russia and neighboring countries.
@danielaurrizolaba Tienda de Aliexpress en #madrid
For the first time in AliExpress history, overseas merchants and suppliers participated in the AliExpress 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. During the sale, sellers from Russia, Spain, Italy, and Turkey sold their products to 127 countries and regions. 2019 ended with AliExpress partnering with Alipay, San Francisco-based Ayden, and Swedish fintech Klarna to provide pay-later solutions to its platform.
2021 saw AliExpress double down on its efforts to reach customers in key international markets. For example, by using post-purchase-focused interactions and customer referral programs on Facebook Messenger, AliExpress was able to engage international customers while taking advantage of their connections to acquire new customers.
Between January and May 2021, the ecommerce platform achieved significantly higher customer satisfaction scores on Facebook as well as:
- 2.1x higher message open rates
- 46% higher click-through rates
That same year, a Marketplace investigation conducted in Canada found elevated levels of chemicals in garments purchased from AliExpress and other fast-fashion retailers. When made aware of these findings, the company removed the offending products from the platform.
Overall, in 2021, AliExpress saw 43% of sellers achieve annual sales of over $1 million and a 30% increase in active users from the previous year. Globally, the ecommerce platform increased its logistics efficiency by 25% and added 14 warehouses in 8 countries through its partnership with Cainiao Express.
2022-Present: AliExpress Revamps its Customer Experience
AliExpress has continued to strengthen its global reach almost every year of its existence. In April 2022, it announced its plans to invest in logistics in prominent markets such as Europe, Brazil, Korea, and the US.
This included increasing the construction of overseas warehouses and doubling the number of pick-up hubs and self-service cabinets. AliExpress’ competitors including SHEIN have started to follow suit. AliExpress also optimized the platform through a series of initiatives. Merchants who were able to guarantee shipping within 72 hours were guaranteed a traffic boost.
In September 2023, AliExpress was fined ₹20 lakh ($24,000 at the time) by the Delhi High Court for trademark infringement. Vistara Airlines filed a lawsuit against AliExpress for allowing the sale of counterfeit Vistara keychains and baggage tags on its platform.
March 2023 saw AliExpress Choice launch in over 215 countries and regions. The initiative combined the infrastructure of AliExpress with Alibaba Group’s global logistics network to offer consumers free shipping, free returns, delivery guarantees, and even more affordable prices.
Expanding its offerings, AliExpress launched AE Mall, a new platform for high-quality sellers in April 2023. Within weeks, the platform had over 5,600 cross-border company registrations.
South Korea proved to be a lucrative market for AliExpress, with order growth exceeding 30%. AliExpress surpassed 7 million monthly active users in the country in November 2023, double the figure recorded in 2022.
Between July and December 2023, AliExpress saw a surge in website traffic, averaging 431 million monthly visits for a total of 2.9 billion visits during the period. Notably, the platform experienced its highest surge in November 2023, with more than 519 million visits worldwide.
By leveraging chartered flights and relying on overseas warehouses, AliExpress was able to offer value-added services and shortened delivery times in key strategic countries. In fact, during fiscal year 2023, over 30% of orders were delivered within 15 days globally.
AliExpress has long had severe issues with product quality and interal monitoring but it hasn’t faced many major consequences for the trend until recently. The platform faced public backlash from Korean consumers in February 2024 for selling illegal and potentially harmful products. This prompted the ecommerce platform to reevaluate and strengthen its internal monitoring system.
To revolutionize the buying experience for consumers in the UK, AliExpress launched livestream shopping in March 2024. One of the company’s first initiatives was the UK Influencer Collective, which invited influential figures in the fashion industry to guide consumers through the latest fashion trends, products, and style advice.
That same month, AliExpress became the first online marketplace to face a formal investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA includes updated ecommerce rules demanding risk assessments and mitigations by larger platforms. Violations can result in penalties of up to 6% of global annual turnover.
In April 2024, AliExpress made history as the first ecommerce platform to become the Exclusive Official Global Partner for UEFA Men’s European Football Championship. This landmark partnership was further amplified by the announcement of David Beckham as AliExpress’ new global brand ambassador.
The AliExpress Business Model
With consumers using price tracking tools to track price change data over time and find the best discounts, it’s clear that AliExpress is a haven for bargain hunters. But why is AliExpress so cheap?
AliExpress is so cheap because it leverages several location and platform-specific advantages. Most of its sellers operate from the Chinese market where labor and production costs are low. Additionally, the platform gives customers access to manufacturers and wholesalers, saving them money by cutting out intermediaries.
Unlike Amazon, the platform does not sell products directly to consumers. Instead, like eBay, sellers on AliExpress can be either companies or individuals (often dropshippers or retail business owners). As shoppers tend to have several options to choose from, this ensures more competitive prices.
History of the AliExpress Logo
Over the years, AliExpress has updated its logo and slogans to reflect its aspirations.
2010-2015: The Shopping Cart Logo
The first AliExpress logo was created in 2010 and featured a simple red and orange sans-serif font with a stylized shopping cart icon in place of the letter “E”. The slogan for this era was: “Smarter shopping, better living!”
2015-Present: The Modern Wordmark
In 2015, the logo was updated to a simple wordmark. AliExpress abandoned the shopping cart emblem, opting for a modern orange and red typeface. The platform also adopted a new slogan: “Buy smarter, live more cheerfully.”
The Future of AliExpress
AliExpress’ 14-year journey demonstrates the ingenuity of using location-specific advantages to compete globally. By taking advantage of China’s low production and labor costs, AliExpress has been able to break into key ecommerce markets.
Its history also highlights the power of innovation and adaptability. By prioritizing accessibility and engagement while aligning with market trends, AliExpress established itself as a key player in the global ecommerce space.
With monthly average visits in key markets like the USA increasing by over 290% year-over-year, AliExpress plans to invest in expanding its market share. The company also intends to keep pioneering tailored and responsive online shopping experiences.
Looking ahead, the ecommerce platform will have to find a way to thrive under the intense scrutiny of global regulatory bodies such as the EU. Inevitably, this will mean complying with more stringent obligations around data, security, and product quality. However, given its history, AliExpress is well-positioned to adapt and meet the changing needs of global online shoppers.
Unsure if AliExpress is a safe platform? Read our complete guide to the safety of AliExpress to help you decide.