Alibaba challenges e-tail giants in US

Chinese retail giant, Alibaba has unveiled an online marketplace in the US that brings together a hand-selected collection of specialty shops and boutiques.

This move seems interesting as Alibaba controls 80% of all online retail in China, handling about $250 bn in 2013 - more than Amazon and eBay combined. Now, when they are looking to expand in the US, they are likely to face stiff competitions from the homegrown e-commerce bigwigs such as Amazon and eBay.

The site called 11 Main, currently in invite-only beta, features a wide range of products, including one-of-a-kind items, not available at mass merchants and other large e-commerce sites. 11 Main offers shops in a variety of categories including Fashion and Style, Home and Outdoor, Jewelry and Watches, Baby and Kids, Collecting and Art, and Crafts, Hobbies and Toys.

Inspired by the local "Main Street" shopping experience, 11 Main helps shoppers find unique products that express their personal style.

Backed by parent company Alibaba Group, 11 Main carries forward a long tradition of enabling entrepreneurship and small business success.

Michael Zeisser, chairman of US Investments, Alibaba Group, said, "11 Main brings something incredibly unique to the US market, and we're very excited to support the 11 Main team as they begin to realize this vision."