Alibaba gives free smartphones to retailers in China in an effort to boost m-commerce

Alibaba, a Chinese Internet giant, is giving away free smartphones in an effort to encourage merchants to shift from PC-based online shopping to shopping via mobile phones.

From e-commerce to m-commerce: that is the aim of Chinese Internet giant Alibaba, and it is giving away free smartphones as part of its efforts to encourage merchants to shift from PC-based online shopping to shopping via mobile phones — by helping them work better on this new platform.