Amcor now on Alibaba

Foil converters sell over platforms.

By Thomas Reiner | 15.03.2019

Alibaba is the largest B2B platform in the world. So far, however, packaging has been sought in vain. But that is changing.

The first step is – as a matter of fact – being dared by a market leader for flexible packaging. Amcor now offers packaging for Alibaba not just for groceries, but also for personal care and cleansers, and even medicines and medical devices.

That precisely ‘big player’ Amcor is one of the first to attempt to sell directly via digital platforms such as Alibaba is significant. It should also persuade the last doubter to acknowledge the reality of platform economies.

For a very long time the packaging industry considered itself safe from the effects of digital transformation. The market was seen to be too fragmented, on both the supply and demand side. The number of possible articles and consumers was seen to be too large and diversified. The business as a whole was seen to be too capital-intensive and the market far too opaque.

The truth is: Exactly the opposite is true. These are precisely the reasons that enable the rise of digital platforms and their disruptive business.