Gathering overseas overseas resources to empower Silk Road e-commerce, Shanghai helps companies go overseas to improve quality and efficiency

China News Service, Shanghai, November 10 (Fan Yubin, Fang Xiaoya) Recently, the third themed event of “Gathering Overseas Chinese Resources to Help Create the ‘Silk Road E-Commerce’ Cooperation Pilot Zone” was held at the Shanghai Hongqiao Convention Center. This event focused on "e-commerce empowering companies to go overseas" and conducted exchanges around artificial intelligence applications, overseas market expansion and risk prevention, further amplifying the spillover effects of the CIIE.

AI empowerment promotes overseas expansion from “sellable” to “sold well”

Going overseas is not just about selling goods overseas. How to accurately select products, carry out localized operations, and deal with issues such as logistics and customs clearance are all realistic tests that companies need to face.

The "E-commerce Empowering Enterprises to Go Overseas Innovation Cases" was released at the event. In March this year, the Minhang District Committee of the Zhi Gong Party formed a review working group in conjunction with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and other units to select 5 representative cases from dozens of application cases, involving models, operations, brands, services and technology overseas.

Among them, a company in Zhejiang used an AI e-commerce operating platform to connect product insights, content generation and marketing delivery, reducing related operating costs by about 80%. Another company achieved a 40% increase in platform conversion rate, a 30% decrease in return rate, and a 50% increase in inventory turnover rate through localized marketing and refined channel management.

Technology application has also extended to the logistics link. Shanghai Xunyou International Logistics (Group) Co., Ltd. built a logistics knowledge base to integrate route information, customs clearance quotations and other business data, and introduced intelligent search and question-answering tools to help staff quickly query information and respond to customer needs.

From product selection and marketing to logistics services, these cases demonstrate the practical application of digital technology in every aspect of companies going global. Li Yiqun, chairman of the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics branch of the Zhi Gong Party, believes that companies need to shift from simply expanding sales channels to brand localization, refined operations, and coordinated services to enhance overall competitiveness.

In addition to technology, understanding overseas markets is equally important. He Yafei, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, pointed out in the keynote report that cross-border e-commerce is becoming an important force in breaking through the bottleneck of traditional foreign trade development. Overseas Chinese businessmen are familiar with the host country's market and can connect Chinese and foreign resources. They have unique advantages in promoting the localization development of enterprises. He suggested further improving the "overseas Chinese affairs + e-commerce" empowerment system and strengthening digital overseas Chinese business training, public service platform construction and digital technology applications.

How to let Chinese brands gain a foothold in overseas markets? Wang Quan, head of AliExpress investment promotion operations at Alibaba, believes that China’s overseas manufacturing is shifting from early reliance on low prices and cross-border direct shipments to global contract fulfillment and brand development. "In the past 15 years, Made in China has solved the problem of 'selling well'. In the next five years, what we want to think about is 'selling well'." He said that the platform helps merchants expand the global market through branding, localization, AI, compliance and other methods. Currently, localized business accounts for more than 30%, and branded business accounts for more than 20%.

Using overseas Chinese as a bridge to link overseas markets and industrial resources

At the event site, the "Silk Road Zhenxuan·Pinhui Market" set up 43 standard booths, focusing on displaying specialty products from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Yunnan and Guizhou and overseas imported goods, and conducting supply and demand docking for e-commerce platforms and overseas Chinese business procurement teams.

In addition, a ceremony was held at the event to award letters of appointment to specially appointed experts from the "Greater Hongqiao Zhi Gong Home", and letters of appointment were issued to the first batch of eight experts from universities and the legal profession. An "Intelligent Living Room" was also set up at the event site to provide consulting services such as project cooperation, overseas policies, and overseas legal services; special seminars focused on cross-border finance, enterprise differentiated competition, industrial chain collaboration, and "One Belt, One Road" market opportunities and risk prevention.