Alibaba Group Holding vs. Dick's Sporting Goods: Revenue Trends Between Online and Brick-and-Mortar Giants

Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) and Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) are two major online and brick-and-mortar retailers, respectively, with distinct business models. Alibaba primarily operates digital commerce marketplaces and cloud computing infrastructure, while Dick's focuses on selling athletic apparel, specialty footwear, and outdoor sports equipment across omnichannel retail stores. Both companies reported revenue figures, which represent the top-line income before business expenses.

Seasonality plays a significant role in the revenue trends of both retailers. Dick's typically experiences strong buying patterns during the fourth quarter for U.S. retailers and in the fourth quarter and early weeks of the first quarter due to summertime sports and camping interest. Similarly, Alibaba has seasonality in the same periods due to holidays and events like Singles Day and China's 618 shopping festival. This seasonality helps to reduce the volatility in the revenue trends of both companies.

Despite the impact of currency conversion on Alibaba's revenue figures, both companies showed year-over-year growth in comparable quarters. For instance, Dick's first quarter of 2026 demonstrated revenue growth from the same period in 2025, while Alibaba's fourth quarter showed a slight increase. Alibaba is actively investing in AI services, which could lead to reduced reliance on retail goods sales in the future, potentially diminishing seasonality.

Investors should focus on rising revenue, especially over similar periods within each year, when evaluating a business. Stagnation or declines in comparable quarters should be considered as red flags. In the case of Alibaba and Dick's Sporting Goods, the data suggests positive revenue trends, indicating healthy growth for both online and brick-and-mortar retailers.