Alibaba Taotian Group Establishes Logistics Department, Bilibili Enhances Professional Content Collaboration
Alibaba Taotian Group Sets Up Logistics Department
The Alibaba Taotian Group recently established a logistics department, with the primary responsibility of platform logistics management and coordinating socialized logistics companies. Chen Ming, known by his alias Red Fang, is heading this department and reports directly to CEO Daisan.
Chen Ming began his career as a trainee at JD.com before joining Hema, where he oversaw logistics operations and the Hema Preferred Business Unit. He was one of the youngest senior directors (P10) at Alibaba. In 2021, when Alibaba integrated its community group buying business, Chen Ming became the supply chain manager for Tao Caicai. Following the recent restructuring of the company’s mid-platform, he took on additional responsibilities managing parts of the group’s supply chain teams.
According to insiders, it took nearly half a year to prepare and establish the logistics department. Currently, the organizational structure of Taotian’s logistics department includes logistics planning, resource management, warehouse network planning, logistics experience, logistics operations, and logistics products.
The logistics department is actively recruiting talent, making it a top priority for both Chen Ming and his subordinates. According to the official recruitment website of the Alibaba Taotian Group, over 40 positions are currently open, including strategic planning, cost management, terminal operations, service provider management, and warehouse management. Recruitment agencies working with Taotian have also received numerous demands.
Based on job descriptions released by the logistics department, industry insiders believe that Taotian plans to focus on fourth-party logistics in the future. This means acting as an integrator, consolidator, and manager of the supply chain—developing logistics solutions for merchants, setting standards for warehousing management, but leaving day-to-day operations to service providers.
Taobao and Tmall’s early business model was purely online matching. With increased competition and expansion into local retail, it became necessary to build their own logistics supply chain. Before the split within Alibaba, logistics development was managed by Cainiao.
In 2017, to improve delivery speed and compete with JD.com, nearly half of Cainiao’s domestic supply chain team was reassigned to Tmall. However, different business units had their own interests to consider. A former employee at Cainiao mentioned that there were disputes over whether to use “Cainiao” or “Tmall” for delivery branding. Later, Cainiao gradually built storage and same-city delivery capabilities for Tmall Supermarket, although they weren’t strictly in a client-vendor relationship. From the perspective of Tmall Supermarket, Cainiao’s services were a default necessity, but they lacked cost efficiency.
By 2020, Tmall aimed to enhance the e-commerce penetration rate in the home furnishing industry by establishing a subsidiary and building a supply chain system. Despite several adjustments, the fulfillment service for home furnishing delivery was still handled by Cainiao, while the Tmall subsidiary served as an intermediary for signing contracts and settlements with merchants.
Within Alibaba, Cainiao and Taobao/Tmall have different objectives.
Taobao and Tmall aim to improve user experience and merchant services. Therefore, they need to establish mature supply chains outside of Tmall Supermarket and home furnishings, even offering efficient and low-cost supply chain options for small and medium-sized merchants. Cainiao may not be advantageous across all categories, such as non-standard goods like small items and apparel. Thus, Taobao/Tmall needs to bring in more logistics ecosystem partners. Additionally, Cainiao’s domestic supply chain is currently operating at a loss, making it less profitable to continue providing customized services for Taobao/Tmall, especially since international business and logistics technology offer more promising prospects.
After the split, both parties gained greater autonomy. Taotian Group can now source and bid for suitable service providers without being limited to Cainiao’s services. Meanwhile, Cainiao can make decisions more independently based on profit and future business potential.
Previously, Taobao/Tmall merchants faced conflicting feelings about choosing the platform’s supply chain services. They wanted to reduce costs but also feared becoming overly dependent on Alibaba. The pandemic increased operational costs, leading to higher demand for efficient supply chains. For Taotian Group, adapting to these needs and addressing capability gaps was essential after separating from the larger organization.
Bilibili Establishes New Departments to Strengthen Professional Content Collaboration
Bilibili recently restructured its OGV (Professional User Generated Video) division, which primarily handles professional content such as anime, films, variety shows, and documentaries.
The “Product Department,” “Technology Department,” and “Platform Operations Department” merged with the “VIP Services Department” to form the “VIP Center.” The “Anime Operations Department” combined with the “Anime Content Department” to create the “Anime Content Center.” The “Film and Entertainment Operations Department” joined with the “Entertainment Content Department” to form the “Entertainment Content Center.” The “Documentary Operations Department” merged with the “Documentary Production Center” to become the “Documentary Center.”
Xu Bei, the former general manager of the OGV division, was promoted to vice president and transferred to the “Strategic Development Department.” Xu Bei joined Bilibili in 2018, starting from business operations and eventually overseeing commercialization products, including the Uploader Monetization Platform “Huahuo.” Afterward, she moved to the OGV division, managing anime, film, variety show, and documentary content operations, along with VIP services.
These newly formed centers will operate as first-level departments under Hu Hong, the former deputy general manager of the OGV division. She joined Bilibili in 2020, initially managing live streaming products and later taking charge of main station traffic and growth products. Upon joining the OGV division, she also led the “VIP Services Department” and “Community Value-added Services Department.”
Previously, Bilibili had tried to unify the operation of OGV content and PUGV (User-Generated Video) content by category. The “Anime Content Department” and “Entertainment Content Department” originally belonged to the “Main Station Operations Center.” After the organizational restructuring last year, they were separated and merged with relevant departments in the OGV division to form “Big Anime” and “Big Entertainment” sections, reporting to Xu Bei.
However, different content categories have distinct production and operation logics. Consolidating them under the OGV division might not be the most efficient approach. This restructuring integrates animation, film and entertainment, and documentary teams into first-level departments, enhancing employee autonomy and facilitating resource mobilization for external collaborations.
Bilibili has previously adjusted its music content, forming an independent “Music Content Department.” COO Li Ni explained that similar adjustments are necessary because industries like animation and music require separate integration of internal and external resources to succeed.
OGV content is a cornerstone of Bilibili’s community ecosystem. Initially, Bilibili attracted core anime users with legitimate anime content. By the end of 2016, the mobile game “F/GO,” based on the anime “Fate” purchased by Bilibili, accounted for nearly 60% of the company’s revenue. In October 2017, Bilibili launched a “Documentary” section, adding over 3,000 documentaries to supplement learning and knowledge content and expand beyond the anime fan base.
Professional content remains a significant reason for Bilibili users to subscribe. However, since 2022, the number of paid subscribers has shown a decline in both year-over-year and month-over-month growth. This is due to stricter review mechanisms for domestic animated content, limiting the number and timeliness of imported anime.
In the first half of this year, revenue from “value-added services,” including membership income, increased by 7% compared to the same period last year, accounting for 43% of total revenue. Due to slow growth in paid memberships, revenue mainly came from increased live-streaming commissions.
During earnings calls with investors, Bilibili management stated that to boost VIP income, the company would continue improving the quality of self-produced and purchased OGV content. Early this year, Bilibili signed a cooperation agreement with Jinjiang Literature City, allowing the purchase and adaptation of literary works. At the documentary launch event in May, Li Ni announced the “Spotlight Plan” to support outstanding documentary creators and the “Star Plan” for content collaboration with professional production institutions.
These initiatives align with two of Bilibili’s three goals for self-produced content: “IPization” and “Premiumization.” The current organizational restructuring supports the third goal: “Ecosystemization,” through the establishment of first-level departments, deepening collaborations with various content production institutions, and better integrating external creators into Bilibili’s internal community.
Despite the importance of OGV content, Bilibili will not increase spending on it. Last year, the company set a goal to achieve profitability by 2024, leading to more aggressive cost-cutting measures. When producing or purchasing OGV content, the company will place greater emphasis on cost control and return on investment.
Từ khóa: Alibaba, Taotian Group, Logistics, Bilibili, Nội dung Chuyên nghiệp