Mondelez teams up with Alibaba on e-commerce in China

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Mondelez International is forming a strategic e-commerce partnership with Alibaba Group to sell its products through the Chinese giant's online marketplace.

Mondelez says Chinese consumers will now be able to purchase a fuller range of Mondelez International products, including Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, belVita, Toblerone, Cadbury and Trident, through its flagship store on Alibaba's Tmall.com platform, China's largest third-party business-to-consumer e-commerce platform for brands and retailers.

Mondelez also plans to increase its investment in Tmall.com by launching exclusive products to expand consumer reach and accelerate growth, starting with Oreo Colorfilled in May, which was exclusively developed for Tmall.com's consumers. Initially piloted in the United States in November, Oreo Colorfilled will enable consumers across China to design their very own Oreo packaging.

"This partnership with Alibaba is a significant step toward our goal of generating e-commerce revenues of at least $1 billion by 2020," said Tim Cofer, chief growth officer, Mondelez International. "Snacking is a fast-growing sector for the e-commerce market in China and Alibaba is a powerful partner to help us capture our share of that growth by expanding our distribution channels and improving our brands' accessibility in both rural and urban Chinese markets."

Under this strategic partnership, the two companies say they will work closely to further advance Mondelez International's business strategy in China by leveraging Alibaba Group's comprehensive e-commerce ecosystem. Key areas of collaboration include consumer insight, cloud computing, branding and advertising solutions, product innovations and expansion of sales and distribution channels.