Chinese ecommerce company Alibaba has announced a strategic partnership that will enhance Unilever’s reach to customers across China.
The move is a major milestone in a partnership that started five years ago with the opening of the first Tmall store, which Alibaba has said has grown steadily since.
The two companies will work together to strengthen cooperation on expanding their distribution channels, especially for consumers in rural areas; further develop cross-border ecommerce and make the Tmall Global Unilever store home to the richest selection of Unilever products from around the world; expand application of Big Data to optimise Unilever’s digital advertising strategy through Alimama, Alibaba’s online marketing business, and reach more consumers through online-offline retail integration; deepen collaboration in Alibaba’s Blue Star programme where each products is tagged with a unique QR code that allows the consumer to verify its authenticity and origin; and develop innovations in supply chain management and offline distribution models
Alibaba Group chief executive officer Daniel Zhang said: “We are very pleased to amplify our partnership with an industry leader such as Unilever. We look forward to building on our success in sales over the years and taking the collaboration to the next level. Moving forward, Alibaba Group and Unilever will jointly innovate in Big Data analytics application, cross-border e-commerce, and supply chain management. In this rapidly changing business landscape, we are committed to continually provide greater value to merchants and better experiences to shoppers.”
Unilever North Asia president Marijn Van Tiggelen added: “Alibaba has changed the shopping habit of Chinese consumers. Its mission is to make it easy to do business everywhere, and its vision is to build the future infrastructure of commerce. This meets Unilever’s development needs in China. Alibaba is the leading internet company in China, with the most innovative thinking. It’s not only an online store, but also a solution platform for online payment, e-finance, and e-commerce logistics. In cooperation with Alibaba, Unilever can provide more convenient services to consumers in China.”
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