Alibaba joins forces with Australia Post
The Alibaba Group has signed a deal with Australia Post to connect Australian consumers with Chinese manufacturers and boost Chinese consumption of Australian products. The new partnership is centred around the largest wholesale website in China, 1688.com, set up by Alibaba in 2010.
Yesterday Australia Post’s 1688.com ‘Australian pavilion’ was officially launched – providing a platform for Australian businesses to sell into China in bulk and reach a market of more than 100 million registered users.
Wine is the first Australian product being sold through the platform, due to the high demand for high-quality Australian wine in China. The partnership will expand to include other categories in 2016.
The Alipay purchase card is also going to be distributed throughout Australia Post stores, allowing Australian consumers to purchase Chinese product direct.
Australia Post has also launched its flagship store auspost.tmall.hk, which sells Australian products to millions of Chinese consumers.
Alibaba director of global marketing Michael Lee said the partnership will make it easier for small to medium-sized business in Australia access Chinese markets.
“I think traditionally, for a small business, if they want to expand their business globally, it costs a lot.”
“With an internet marketplace like alibaba.com, these barriers have been removed and significantly reduce the costs of investing that money into that channel.”
