Cannes Film Festival boosts overseas gem consumption, Ali International Station gem sales triple

The Cannes International Film Festival just ended this week. Stimulated by the shining gems of the stars, the consumption of gems in the overseas market has quietly become "hot". Data from Alibaba International Station shows that the transaction volume of jewelry products has tripled year-on-year this week.

In fact, data from Alibaba International Station shows that this "gemstone export fever" is expected to continue. Especially with the arrival of summer, various outdoor parties and music festivals are held, and the demand for gemstones and other accessories begins to increase. A large number of overseas buyers have also prepared in advance on Alibaba International Station. Throughout the first quarter, the overseas traffic of gemstone merchants on Alibaba International Station has increased by 36% year-on-year.

Among them, young overseas consumers tend to focus more on personalized customization and cost-effectiveness when purchasing gemstones, making the gemstone export market significantly different from the past. The artificial gemstone industry belt in Wuzhou, Guangxi, has risen in this process.

  (Photo: Workers inlay gemstones on handicrafts)

According to public data, Wuzhou currently has more than 120,000 gemstone processing personnel, processing about 12.6 billion gemstones per year, accounting for about 80% of the country and about 70% of the world, making it a veritable "artificial gemstone capital" in the world. In March this year, the Wuzhou Gemstone Industry Belt became one of the "Top Ten Digital Foreign Trade Industry Belts" of Alibaba International Station.

To this end, Alibaba International Station has also opened a special online zone for the Wuzhou Industrial Belt to provide merchants with personal services and guidance on stocking, helping them to take advantage of the "overseas gem fever" to win more orders and achieve a new speed of digital foreign trade.

"70% of our orders now require personalization." Huang Chunlin, an Alibaba International Station merchant from the Wuzhou gem industry belt, observed that the demand for artificial gems among consumers in different markets is very different from the past: Middle Eastern people like to put family portraits in gem pendants, while Americans like large-carat gems, and some buyers even request that the gems be set in shoes.

Huang Chunlin started his business in Wuzhou in 2000 and entered the artificial gemstone industry, founding Wuzhou Zuanfa Jewelry Co., Ltd. The company's business ranges from zircon wholesale to jewelry customization, with annual exports reaching 50 million in 2022. "In the past three years, through deep integration and operation with Alibaba International Station, the number of overseas buyers has increased rapidly. This year, we strive to exceed 70 million in sales," said Huang Chunlin.

At the same time, the application of new technologies enables Huang Chunlin to more effectively meet overseas demands. Currently, Huang Chunlin's foreign trade company has opened cross-border live broadcasts and 3D model rooms on Alibaba International Station, allowing overseas buyers to see the specific effects of gemstones in person even if they are thousands of miles away, greatly improving communication efficiency and helping business growth.

(Photo: Merchants on Alibaba International Station display gemstone products in the live broadcast room)

At present, digital foreign trade has become an important way for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises to open up new markets and find new growth points. New foreign trade trends such as artificial gemstones are constantly emerging, and Alibaba International Station is also helping small and medium-sized foreign trade companies achieve new business growth speed by applying the latest technologies.

Alibaba International Station

Overseas Gemstones