Online trade between Australia and China is set to be boosted through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between e-commerce giant Alibaba and supply chain service provider GS1 Australia.
The agreement was signed between Maggie Zhou, managing director of Alibaba Group (Australia and New Zealand), and Russell Stucki, chairman of GS1 Australia, at an event in Melbourne late last week.
“The MoU signed here today will formalise the strategic partnership to support the growth and introduction of Australian brands using GS1 standards to the millions of online shoppers using Alibaba Group’s platforms in China,” Stucki said.
The signing of the MoU follows an announcement between Alibaba Group, GS1 Global Office and GS1 China last year to standardise product information for the benefit of all stakeholders, especially consumers. Alibaba also invited brand owners to adopt GS1 standards for product information management and the use of barcodes, or global trade item numbers, for uniquely identifying their products within the Alibaba e-commerce network.
“We are excited to enter into this agreement with GS1 Australia and support local businesses entering the Chinese market through Alibaba’s platforms,” said Alibaba Group’s Maggie Zhou. “The demand for Australian products on Alibaba Group’s platforms continues to grow and Chinese consumers recognise the importance of safe and authentic products.”
During Alibaba Group’s 2016 Double 11 sale, Australia increased its overall global ranking to fourth on the Tmall and Tmall Global platforms, up from fifth in 2015.
“Today’s signing symbolises a partnership which we believe will lead to many opportunities for Australian businesses to leverage Alibaba’s e-commerce ecosystem and build on the already established partnership between China’s largest online retailer of imported products, GS1 Global Office and GS1 China,' added Stucki.
