eCommerce firm Alibaba.com has reported revenue of RMB1.10bn for the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of 35.8% compared to RMB814.2m for the same period last year.
The company posted a gross profit of RMB958.9m, compared to RMB691.4m for the fourth quarter of 2008. Operating profit totaled RMB266.8m, an increase of 59.9% compared to RMB166.9m for the same period a year ago.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2009, profit attributable to equity shareholders rose by 48.6% to RMB281.2m from RMB189.2m for the same period last year, driven mostly by strong customer growth and value-added services (VAS) revenue.
Revenue from China marketplace was RMB402.0m, an increase of 26.9% year-on-year and a 6.3% increase quarter-on-quarter while the revenue from international marketplace was RMB687.1m, a 40.9% increase year-on-year and an 7.5% increase quarter-on-quarter.
For the FY 09, the company reported a total revenue of RMB3.87bn, an increase of 29% compared to RMB3bn for fiscal 2008. Operating profit dropped 6% to RMB1.07bn, compared to RMB1.14bn in 2008.
As of December 31, 2009, the company had 615,212 paying members, representing a 42.4% increase from the fourth quarter of 2008 and 6.3% increase from the third quarter of 2009. The company’s deferred revenue and customer advances grew to RMB3.4bn, representing an increase of 49.8% year-on-year.
David Wei, chief executive officer of Alibaba.com, said: “2009 was a year to test even the strongest business in ability to weather volatile economic climates. Alibaba.com’s success in 2009 was entirely due to a laser focus on serving customers needs regardless of the economic climate.
Our investments during the year were also an important step in ensuring the long-term success and stability of our business. By investing our resources in our customers when they needed it most, we were able to help them navigate a turbulent year to emerge stronger and more fortified with near term impact to our financials but significant upside to our long-term health as a company. ”
