Overseas consumers choose more Chinese goods on AliExpress

40 million manicure products, 30 million makeup sets, 10 million pairs of tights, 10 million pairs of underpants, 8 million lipsticks, and a wig every two seconds — China’s fast-moving consumer goods have witnessed soaring sales on Alibaba’s online global retail platform AliExpress over the last year. With continuous exploration and development into overseas markets, more foreign customers are buying consumer goods from China with a simple click on AliExpress, suggested a report on the global beauty economy released by AliExpress on March 12. Beauty products were the most popular at the beginning of this year, with an increase of online orders in key markets including France, the U.S., and the Middle East exceeding 40 percent, revealed the report.

In the past half a year, AliExpress has seen the number of online shops selling beauty products rise by over 35 percent, indicated the report, also showing that more than 600 official online flagship makeup brand stores have created a high annual growth of 100 percent, raising the number of products available online by 50 percent. Nail polish, eyelash extensions, and makeup brushes have topped the hot list, while people in Russia, the U.S. and France have been the most frequent buyers of cosmetics on AliExpress. Sales of beauty kits on AliExpress increased by 300 percent last year, while sales of skin care products were 10 times higher than that of average sales on the South Korea market, said the report. Fashionable boutique jewelry from China has also been growing in popularity on the platform, with sales from European and American countries rising more than 35 percent, while sales in Asian countries including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand have increased by over 200 percent.

Original jewelry designs from China are becoming increasingly trendy according to the report, indicating that these unique designs have been bought as far away as Burkina Faso in the west of Africa and New Caledonia in Oceania. Hair loss has become a universal problem, according to data from AliExpress, showing that sales of hair-loss prevention products have increased by 150 percent over the last year, ranking first among all categories on the platform. Various products relating to hair loss prevention including hair regrowth essential oils, combs, and hairline concealer have also been welcomed in overseas markets, and that the proportion of male buyers in this sector has been rising year upon year.

In 2018, the proportion of males buying hair-loss prevention and hair regrowth products rose by 11 percent compared with the figure in the previous year, reaching 46 percent, said the report. Chinese wigs have become one of the most popular items on AliExpress. Wig sales on the platform have reached 7 billion yuan a year, with the most famous wig companies in Xuchang, central China’s Henan Province, seeing a daily sales volume of 40,000 and annual revenue of 1.5 billion yuan (about $223.5 million). Wig prices on the platform usually range from $100 to $300, while the most expensive costs up to $800. The report noted that the U.S., the U.K., France, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Italy had bought the most wigs on the platform. It showed that online sales of wigs in European countries had risen by over 50 percent, while in 10 African countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, and Tanzania, the figure had grown by up to 300 percent.

(People’s Daily)