The big brands are proving difficult to sign up, however, and the platform is currently only able to attract small retailers, who benefit from the more favourable terms offered than by competitor Amazon, for example.
So far Alibaba's courtship of major brands like Mango, Benetton and the Spanish fashion retailer Tendam has been in vain. Now it is going on the offensive and actively soliciting local retailers in Europe for its AliExpress marketplace to satisfy the demands of its customers. Since the platform was opened last year to external retailers in Spain, it is claimed that thousands of vendors have already registered. These include the retail group El Corte Ingles, which announced its intention to consolidate its presence on the platform last summer.