The brief
CES is an annual consumer electronics and technologies show in Las Vegas which serves as a global stage where tech companies (more than 4,400 in 2019) launch or display their latest wares and share their visions with an in-person audience of over 180,000 attendees from 160 countries.
For Alibaba Group, the news-making size, scope and influence of CES are ideal conditions with which to enhance consumer understanding of its brand. At the 2019 show, Alibaba Group introduced the Alibaba AI Labs and their B2B business.
Pico was the key to achieving that goal, having been engaged to provide design, planning, fabrication and on-site operation services.
Creative and execution
The result of their work was the eye-catching 510 sq. m. ‘Technology Reimagined’ booth. Its architecture and layout were carefully devised to flow visitors through a sequence of eight interactive ‘stations’, each of which added a layer of experience and understanding of the Alibaba ecosystem.
From the front of the booth to the first station, the visitor’s journey was simultaneously an overview of Alibaba’s activities in e-commerce and its ‘gateway to China’ role for international brands and merchants.
The large data screen at station one gave further details of the company’s B2B e-commerce platform, Alibaba.com, which demonstrated an advanced end-to-end journey where myriad functions connect small and medium-sized businesses and buyers to factories, turning their ideas to real products.
Stations two to six further expanded the story, with showcases of how Alibaba.com’s ‘Image Search’ technology can trace products back to their suppliers using nothing more than a snapshot. Other stunning business-friendly functions on display and demonstration included real-time AI translation and Virtual Reality headsets for virtual factory tours.
An added attraction for visitors at the Merchant Product and Trade Assurance station was a ‘design your own phone case’ feature. Finished custom cases could be picked up on site.
At station six, visitors familiarised themselves with a new app function called ‘Trade Show’, which integrates online and offline trade show experiences and allows buyers and sellers to find their target partners. A large mobile phone screen played short videos of products from Alibaba suppliers who were also at CES.
From station six, visitors used a curved ‘motorway’ to travel across the booth toward the other stations. Along the way, a parked car demonstrated some of the capabilities of Alibaba’s Tmall Genie, an AI-powered voice controlled assistant that creates a more connected user experience.
As stations seven and eight demonstrated, Tmall Genie could be integrated with both car and home to do everything from switching on their car’s engine and opening or closing blinds, to checking cinema listings, playing favourite tunes or making online purchases – all with verbal commands.
