Use of big data helps small firms win orders, lift exports

Exports are picking up momentum, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises that are using big data to create products shaped precisely to customers' needs, according to Alibaba.com, the nation's largest wholesale trade site.

The number of new customers at the portal hit nearly 6,000 in December, logging the biggest number of single-month new entrants since its founding in 1999, said Yu Yong, vice-president of Alibaba Group and co-general manager of Alibaba.com.

"While traditional big corporations are struggling with the economic uncertainty, forward-thinking smaller players are definitely seeing and grasping opportunities," Yu said.