Nestlé signs China e-commerce partnership with Alibaba Group

Nestlé has signed a new partnership with Alibaba Group in China, to grow online sales, build key brands and offer new products to millions of consumers.

Nestlé has introduced products including Nido milk powder, Damak chocolate and Nescafé Dolce Gusto BMW MINI coffee machines on Tmall.com, China’s largest shopping website for brands and retailers. Using Taobao.com, the country’s largest shopping site overall, Nestlé says it is expanding its distribution in rural areas.

Nestlé e-commerce successes to date include the Nespresso online boutique, and the recentglobal launch of super-premium chocolate brand Cailler using Amazon as the primary retailer.

Sebastien Szczepaniak, Vice President of Group Sales and eBusiness, said that Nestlé’s online sales are growing more than 25% per year: “Moreover, offline purchases are increasingly influenced by what we see online, so brand building has gone beyond having good television advertising and nice packaging. Our ability to build brands on any touchpoint, be it digital or analogue, is vital,” he said.

Last year, United Biscuits announced a partnership with Alibaba Group, officially opening its flagship eCommerce store for consumers in China on Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform. Similarly, last summer Alibaba Group and Unilever China announced a comprehensive strategic partnership, enabling Unilever to reach customers across China through Alibaba Group’s data-driven ecosystem.