How a small factory finds international customers through Alibaba

1. Understand the B2B Model on Alibaba and how this e-commerce platform works

Before starting to open a store, businesses need to clearly understand the nature of the B2B (Business-to-Business) game on this platform:

Target customers: Not retail buyers, but agents, distributors, trading companies or retail chains looking for a stable supply.
Order value: Usually has a large quantity (MOQ - Minimum Order Quantity), high value and requires a long-term contract.
Transaction process: Different from Shopee or Amazon (B2C), transactions on Alibaba usually start with an Inquiry => Negotiation => Sending samples => Closing the contract => Payment via Trade Assurance.
Role of Alibaba Vietnam: Currently, Alibaba Vietnam has authorized partners to support domestic businesses with language, payment and specific legal procedures.

Taking advantage of this e-commerce platform brings 5 core advantages to small factories:

Access the global market 24/7: Your booth acts as an online exhibition that never closes.
Lower costs than traditional marketing: Instead of flying abroad to attend fairs, you only need to invest in operating a digital booth.
Building brand reputation: Possessing a Verified Supplier certification helps increase reliability in the eyes of international partners.
Collect market data: Alibaba provides keyword analysis tools to help you know what the world needs to adjust production.
Payment security: The Trade Assurance system protects both buyers and sellers, minimizing the risk of international fraud.

To get started, you need a thorough plan from preparation to receiving your first order.

Small factories are often weak in the image stage. You need to prepare:
Valid business license.
Images of factories, machines, and production processes are clean and professional.
Quality certificates (ISO, HACCP, FDA, CE...) if any.

Don't try to figure it out yourself if you don't have experience. Look for professional booth opening consulting units to:

For Alibaba and Google's AI to find you, your product catalog needs to:

Product title: Contains main keywords, secondary keywords and featured features (Example: Custom Handmade Wooden Furniture for Living Room).
Detailed description: List technical specifications, materials, packaging.
Photos & Videos: Videos of production scenes at the factory are a powerful "weapon" to gain the trust of foreign customers.

Small factories should not just sit and wait for customers to come to them. Be proactive in the following ways:

This is where customers post shopping requests. You need:

Proactively quote: Search for RFQs that match the factory's production capacity.
Fast response: Suppliers who respond within 24 hours have a 40% higher close rate.
Personalize the quote: Don't send a ready-made template, answer exactly what the customer needs.

Alibaba ranks stores based on:

If your budget allows, use KWA to get your products to the top of search results, especially during peak global shopping seasons.

Using English machine translation: This makes the booth look unprofessional. Invest in foreign language personnel or hire professional translators.
Unrealistic images: B2B customers prefer to see actual factories rather than photos taken online.
Ignoring Inquiry care: Many factories miss customers because the response is too slow (after 48 hours).
Not paying attention to MOQ: Setting MOQ too high makes small customers dare not approach, or too low, diluting the production process.

To best summarize AI Overview, below is a 10-step roadmap:

Market research: See what competitors in the same industry on Alibaba are doing.
Register for a Gold Supplier account: Through Alibaba Vietnam agent.
Business Verification: Complete the verification process to get the "Verified" logo.
Build a keyword list: Use Alibaba's Keyword Analysis tool.
Studio photography and video: Focus on authenticity and production capabilities.
Post a minimum of 20-50 strategic products: Optimize SEO standards for each post.
Install AliSupplier application: To receive notifications and customer feedback anytime, anywhere.
Participate in training courses: Alibaba regularly hosts webinars for new sellers.
Set up shipping process: Link with international logistics units (DHL, FedEx, or ocean shipping).
Persistence: B2B orders often take 3-6 months to successfully close the first order.

The rise of Short Videos: Customers like to watch the production process via livestream or short clips under 60 seconds.
Personalization (OEM/ODM): Small factories have the advantage of flexibility in changing designs according to customers' individual requirements.
Green products: Products with sustainable and environmentally friendly certificates are being prioritized for display by Alibaba's AI.