Alexei Gogolev's questions to Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) leadership • Q1 2026
Question
Alexei Gogolev of JPMorgan Chase & Co. asked what makes Alibaba's current push into QuickCommerce different from its past efforts with Ele.me, which struggled to gain a leading market share against competitors despite significant investment.
Answer
Alibaba Management responded that past investments in Ele.me were crucial for building the merchant and fulfillment infrastructure that enabled the recent rapid growth of Taobao Instant Commerce. The key strategic difference this time is the deep integration with the Taobao app, which provides a massive, highly active user base that was previously a missing component. Furthermore, the investment logic has shifted to focus on the total incremental value QuickCommerce brings to the entire e-commerce ecosystem, rather than its standalone profitability.