Unilever sets sights on Chinese consumers as it deepens ties with Alibaba
Unilever has inked a deal with e-commerce giant Alibaba that will see it launch a targetted offensive to reach more consumers in China.
The owner of Dove and Ben & Jerry's will harness Alibaba data to focus on rural Chinese consumers as well as cross-border e-commerce, consumer protection to optimise its digital ad strategy through Alimama, Alibaba's online marketing business.
The partnership will kick off this week with 'Unilever Week' (22-24 July) on Chinese e-tailer Tmall, owned by Alibaba, and comes five years after Unilever China opened its first flagship store on the website.
Marijn Van Tiggelen, Unilever North Asia president said that Alibaba's disruption of Chinese consumer's shopping habits 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."
Unilever's sales in China fell by 20 percent in the final three months of 2014 as a slew of retailers were foced to cut inventories in the sector after sales began to stall.