Unilever has tapped Alibaba to expand its presence in rural China and boost the presence of its products online globally.
In addition to rural China penetration, cross-border e-commerce, consumer protection and Big Data will be some of the focus areas of the agreement.
Unilever has sales presence in over 190 countries reaching 2 billion consumers daily. It has clocked sales of €48.4 billion in 2014. 75 percent of its footprint is in the faster growing developing and emerging markets.
Daniel Zhang, chief executive officer of Alibaba Group. “Alibaba and Unilever will innovate in Big Data analytics application, cross-border e-commerce, and supply chain management.”
“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 convenient services to consumers in China,” said Marijn Van Tiggelen, president of Unilever North Asia.
Alibaba Group and Unilever China will work together to expand distribution channels, especially for consumers in rural areas to enjoy more convenient access to Unilever products. They will develop cross-border ecommerce cooperation and make the Tmall Global Unilever store home to the richest selection of Unilever products from around the world.
They will expand application of Big Data to optimize Unilever’s digital advertising strategy through Alimama, Alibaba’s online marketing business, and reach more consumers through online-offline retail integration.
Unilever will join Alibaba’s Blue Star program where each product is tagged with a unique QR code that allows the consumer to verify its authenticity and origin. This will help protect Unilever’s brand and combat counterfeit goods to protect the customer user experience.
Baburajan K
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