DHgate.com has global grassroots ambitions

DHgate.com, a leading Chinese cross border ecommerce company, is fast building a grassroots network of fans the world over. Small businesspeople from Laos, to Brazil, to Botswana see the company is committed to the concerns of small and medium sized companies and helping them conquer the odds of doing business abroad.

For two weeks, more than 20 participants from 9 counties gathered in Beijing for the APEC Women Connect Capacity Building program - co-hosted by DHgate.com. It was a deep dive into globalization and the Chinese economy, in which participants spent two weeks touring Beijing and the ecommerce hub of Zhejiang province, a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn about the secrets of China's success, and the secrets of succeeding at business with their Chinese counterparts.

"They say 'knowledge is power and when you know better you do better'" said Mmantlha Sankoloba, the CEO of Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association, one of the participants on her time spent in China.

The participants in the program have a number of things in common - they are from small companies, small countries, and many are women. Ms. Sankoloba and many others who participated see their main challenge as improving their place, and the place of their countries, in the global value chain.

"Small countries can't do everything" said Victor Hugo of ESPM, a Brazilian business school "but globalization gives everyone and opportunity to specialize" he said.

The participants had lively discussion over coffee on Sunday, the last full day of the program. One point of contention was whether Global Supply Chains make life easier or harder for small companies: while multinational corporations have tended to dominate global trade, the rise of global supply chains creates space for small entrepreneurs to specialize, said Mr. Hugo and others.

Meanwhile, they all see China, and DHgate.com, as a friendly force in helping them and their countries move into global markets.

"We see DHgate.com as our principal partner for Ecuador in establishing trading relations with China, said Javier Lopez, a businessman from Ecuador.

The question of gender divided the students as well - the rise of the high technology economy has benefitted both men and women. But at the coffee debate on Sunday, participants argued good naturedly about who benefitted more, and who needed more help in adapting to the new world of ecommerce.

"We should help women more, because when you help women you are also helping children," said Monica Retamal, CEO of Kodea a Chilean company.

The program, made in partnership with Beijing's University of International Business and Economics, offered DHgate.com a chance to showcase its vision of a fairer, more diverse global trading system.

DHgate.com is uniquely placed to offer object lessons to these small businesswomen. Diane Wang, DHgate.com's Founder and CEO, launched the company as a startup in 2004 and has focused DHgate.com's mission on connecting small businesses around the world with each other.

Ms. Wang has long been an advocate for a more inclusive trade, meaning trade with more small businesses, more women, and more diversity.

DHgate.com is to date the only e-commerce platform which is dedicated to serving small and medium-sized retailers worldwide, by integrating the whole ecosystem together from logistics to payment, from marketing to customs clearance, to lower the entry barriers for SMEs to access global markets.

DHgate.com expects that, though this unique opportunity, more and more people will soon be able to share China's digital trading skills and technology, transforming the global economy for the better.