SYDNEY, 6 July 2010 - According to trade data recorded by the world's leading e-commerce company for small business; Alibaba.com (HKSE: 1688.HK) (1688. HK), the growth rate of Australian SMBs sourcing products and services from overseas is dramatically outpacing the rest of the world.  Enquiries from Australian SMBs to overseas suppliers on the site have risen 31 percent in the past six months, compared to a growth of 8 percent in the US and UK.

Alibaba.com, the world's largest international B2B marketplace, with more than 12.5 million users on the international marketplace, revealed the online trade data for Australia at an 'Open Sesame' event at Westpac Place in Sydney.  Latest figures show that the number of Australian SMBs using the website increased 53 percent in 2009 to more than 316,000.

85 percent of Australian SMBs are using Alibaba.com to source products or services, with consumer electronics the most sourced category (16 percent), followed by fashion and apparel (14 percent), and sporting goods (6 percent). 

China is the biggest supplier to Australian users of Alibaba.com, accounting for 62 percent of the sourcing enquiries, followed by Hong Kong SAR, and then India.

Sabrina Peng, VP of International Operations at Alibaba.com said: "We believe that Australia is on the cusp of an e-commerce boom and we want to help Australian entrepreneurial SMBs be part of that. With more than 1.9 million SMBs representing 96 percent of all businesses and a high level of internet penetration, Australia is a key buyer and seller market for Alibaba.com."

"Today's 'Open Sesame' event at Westpac is the first in a series of planned educational seminars in conjunction with prominent organisations in Australia which share our goal of helping entrepreneurial small businesses."

The 'Open Sesame'connected around 200 Australian small business owners to share their experiences of global trade and e-commerce. The event included a Q&A session with a panel of Australian small business owners who use Alibaba.com to source their products.

Other trade data released by Alibaba.com revealed that, as well as being the biggest supplier to Australian users, China is also the biggest buyer of Australian goods via the site, accounting for 17 percent of all enquiries to Australian suppliers on Alibaba.com.  India is the second biggest buyer (9 percent) and Australian buyers (7 percent).  Food and beverages are the most popular items bought from Australian businesses on Alibaba.com, followed by agriculture, which is the fastest growing category, accounting for 11 percent of all enquiries.

As part of its strengthened focus on Australia, Alibaba.com is ramping up efforts to promote e-commerce in Australia through sponsorship of Online Retailer Expo taking place from Tuesday 6th July- Friday 9th July at Darling Harbour Convention Centre.  Andrew Morello, winner of the first season of the popular TV show 'The Apprentice'and frequent user of Alibaba.com, has been appointed as an ambassador for Alibaba.com in Australia.  He will be speaking about his experiences with the online marketplace at Online Retailer Expo, as well as hosting a live barter of products from the website, and offering free business coaching to attendees who visit the Alibaba.com booth at stand 10.

Alibaba.com has millions of products listed and updated every day, which provides Australian businesses with an unrivalled sourcing channel. Founded in 1999, Alibaba.com's international marketplace and China marketplace combined have more than 50 million registered users. Alibaba.com also offers a wholesale platform, www.aliexpress.com, which is geared for smaller buyers seeking fast shipment of small quantities of goods and equipped with an escrow payment service that helps buyers to complete the transaction in a safe and more convenient manner. Annual revenue of Alibaba.com in 2009 reached US$567.3 million. As of the end of the first quarter of 2010, there were about 1.5 million online storefronts on Alibaba.com, selling products from more than 40 industries.