Alibaba has begun integrating its domestic wholesale platform 1688 with cross-border marketplace Alibaba.com and placed both businesses under Kuo Zhang, an Alibaba vice president and president of Alibaba.com, according to Jiemian. The former head of 1688 will take another position within the group.
The two platforms, both founded more than 20 years ago, previously operated separately for domestic and international wholesale. Alibaba grouped them together under a Global Wholesale segment in its August financial reporting, and the management change is intended to connect Chinese suppliers with overseas buyers through shared operations and AI tools. [Jiemian, in Chinese]