In episode 441 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Yikun Shao, head of supply chain, North America at Alibaba.com, a leading platform for global B2B e-commerce. Listen in as Shao discusses his professional background and current role at Alibaba.com (0:55), leveraging the organization's supply chain capabilities to empower small businesses (3:45), the adoption of crowdsourced delivery (8:35), and how Alibaba.com's B2B sellers are leveraging crowdsource delivery (11:05).

In addition, Shao discusses Alibaba.com's supply chain sustainability goals (12:25), the consumer's push for more sustainable retail (15:50), and how the company is preparing for possible future supply chain disruptions (16:55). Lastly, Shao touches on the supply chain trends he's most focused on in 2024 (21:00).

Yikun Shao is the head of supply chain for Alibaba.com, where he develops strategy and builds platform-level solutions to empower businesses in the realms of international shipping, logistics, cross-border trade, and global expansion. Prior to joining Alibaba.com, Shao served as a trade and business consultant at PwC, a global professional services leader, accumulating 15 years of diverse experience spanning its U.S., Japan, and China practices.

Operating in both the U.S. and Asia, Shao advised numerous multinational corporations across an extensive spectrum of customs, trade, and supply chain intricacies. His focus was to develop cost-efficient cross-border strategies and enhance global compliance. His clientele encompassed an array of industry sectors, ranging from technology, automotive, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, chemicals, industrial manufacturing, consumer electronics, to fashion and retail.

Shao possesses deep expertise and extensive experience within North America and the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in supply chain and trade planning, while maintaining a broad comprehension of business and trade regulations in Europe and the rest of the globe.