Jumbo Chilean cherries have played a starring role in the fresh produce category for Alibaba’s Singles Day shopping bonanza in China, whose theme shifted from deep discounting to premium product at affordable prices this year.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba just wrapped up its eighth 11.11 Global Shopping Festival for Singles Day with a record RMB120.7bn (US$17.8bn) of gross merchandise volume.
This year, the Chilean Fresh Fruit Exporters Association (Asoex) teamed up with Alibaba and Chinese fresh produce distributor Frutacloud to promote Chilean cherries for the event.
“We collaborated to promote the ideal growing conditions, the rich farming history and the advanced technology behind every single cherry from Chile,” said Fruitacloud in a media release. “As the major supplier for Alibaba’s Mr Fresh, Frutacloud invested resources in procurement, quality control and logistics to guarantee the optimal consumer experience.”
While Chilean cherries have featured in every Singles Day festival, the partners this year launched a premium line of jumbo cherries.
“Commonly known for steep discounts, the 11.11 Shopping Festival had a new theme this year to show that Chinese consumers are looking for premium product at a reasonable price,” said Frutacloud. “Mr Fresh and Frutacloud unveiled super sized 30mm+ Chilean cherries for the first time. It [the line] was quickly sold out before the shopping festival began, and Chilean cherries became the highest grossing item in the fresh produce category.”
Frutacloud's CEO George Liu said the campaign demonstrates the genuine and growing demand for premium produce on Alibaba’s Tmall platform. “Aoex’s marketing message really resonates with our customers. I think it’s a bold and effective campaign that helps Chilean cherries build strong brand recognition,” he said.
