Soccer icon David Beckham is set to endorse Alibaba’s global e-commerce platform, AliExpress, in what marks the company’s most significant global brand ambassador collaboration to date, announced the business division on Monday.
This partnership unfolds amidst the competitive landscape with China-based competitors like PDD Holdings’ Temu and online fashion startup Shein rapidly expanding their global presence.
PDD Holdings notably advertised during the Super Bowl in a bid to capture the attention of U.S. consumers.
AliExpress, while not disclosing the exact figure for Beckham’s ambassadorship deal, has joined several Chinese firms in sponsoring the upcoming UEFA European soccer championship, commencing in mid-June.
“AliExpress is allocating millions of Euros towards discounts, deals, and interactive experiences during the tournament,” the company remarked in a statement, highlighting planned promotions including opportunities for AliExpress app users to secure tickets to the matches.
“AliExpress is facilitating fans to be part of the UEFA EURO 2024™ excitement this summer by offering them enticing rewards as the matches unfold on the field,” Beckham stated in his sole commentary within the press release.
As per the latest available filing from Beckham’s company, DRJB Holdings, it generated £72.6 million ($92.5 million) in revenue in 2022.
Alibaba’s international e-commerce arm, encompassing AliExpress, operates under the Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.
The division witnessed a robust 45% year-on-year sales surge in the first quarter of 2024, amounting to 27.45 billion yuan ($3.79 billion). In contrast, revenue from China-focused platforms Taobao and Tmall Group experienced a 4% growth during the same period, reaching 93.22 billion yuan, according to Alibaba’s reports.
Nevertheless, the international business segment reported an escalation in losses, totaling 4.1 billion yuan compared to 2.2 billion yuan in the preceding year.
Jiang Fan, co-chairman and CEO of the international unit, acknowledged the company’s aggressive investments in emerging markets such as the Middle East during an earnings call earlier this month.
In 2022, AliExpress allocated approximately $7 million in South Korea to attract local consumers with competitive product pricing.
The previous year, actor Don Lee was appointed as AliExpress’ inaugural brand ambassador in South Korea.
Several other Chinese firms have ramped up their global expansion endeavors amidst a deceleration in domestic growth.
Chinese sponsors of UEFA Euro 2024 include Alibaba-affiliated Alipay, electric car manufacturer BYD, home appliance brand Hisense, and smartphone company Vivo.
Hisense notably became the first Chinese sponsor for the European championship in 2016, with three additional Chinese enterprises subsequently forging partnerships for the 2020 games.
