Royal Mail and Alibaba extend partnership
Royal Mail has announced that it has strengthened its strategic arrangement with Alibaba through the launch of new services to link Chinese sellers directly with UK online shoppers. AliExpress, Alibaba’s global retail marketplace for consumers, will now offer Chinese exporters new Royal Mail shipping solutions, which will mean that they can supply goods for UK delivery within two weeks, which is much faster than standard international postage from China.
In a statement issued today (10 November) Royal Mail explained how this will work: “Upon purchase and selection of the Royal Mail delivery option, items will be airfreighted to the UK to enter Royal Mail’s network for quick and reliable delivery through its Tracked 48 or First Class services.
“With unrivalled coverage across the UK, Royal Mail can also offer superior tracking information to merchants on the AliExpress platform. It will supply its 2D barcode labels for AliExpress shipments. In future, this will give customers access to tracking information on their parcels as they pass through key points of the delivery journey.”
Commenting on the agreement, Richard Snowdon, Director, Royal Mail International, said: “We are focused on our strategy of growing import and export volumes, and developing e-commerce solutions is an important part of that. Faster, secure, high quality delivery options are key, as parcel transit times and tracking visibility are important to international e-retailers and consumers alike. China is Royal Mail’s largest import country partner, and Royal Mail’s new service for AliExpress further complements this important strategic partnership.”
The agreement comes in time for China’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, which sees online merchants offer big discounts to consumers. UK consumers can take advantage of these discounts through AliExpress.
