For mothers, there is nothing more urgent and important than proper nutrition for their babies. U.S. infant-formula brand Wyeth understands that perfectly.
In collaboration with Alibaba’s B2C marketplace Tmall, Wyeth is offering some customers accelerated delivery for orders placed online during this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.
“With the help of Tmall, this year we have built an online-to-offline model, which means customers can place orders offline and get their products through home delivery within an hour,” said Frank Qu, Wyeth’s regional business head in China.
Watch: Have a look at Wyeth’s Illuma pop-up store
Sixty-minute delivery is available to consumers who live within 3 kilometers of Wyeth’s over 1,000 physical stores dotted across China. For Wyeth customers located more than 3 kilometers from the range of delivery, they can still get the items within 24 hours of ordering.
The special initiative isan illustration of how New Retail—in part, a seamless integration of online and offline commerce—is helping companies and customers to get the most out of their relationships. But Qu said fast delivery is just one of the many perks Wyeth is offering to their Tmall customers during the three-week long 11.11 shopping festival.
With the help of Alibaba, Wyeth and Tmall have set up pop-up stores in Shanghai as part of the 11.11 celebrations. Visitors to the pop-up stores will get a chance to ask questions to celebrity moms such as Zhao Ziqi, a popular Chinese actress, who will be onsite to share their experiences.
China’s demand for high-quality infant formula has boomed in recent years and analysts say the uptrend is likely to stick around for years, bolstered by government’s relaxation of the “One-Child Policy.” According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, China’s new births jumped by nearly 8% to 17.89 million in 2016, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Chile, just one year after the rule was eased.
As demand heats up, so has the number of brands competing for Chinese customers. To beat out their rivals, Wyeth has teamed up with Tmall since 2007 to best capture the thirst of over half of billion members of the e-commerce platform.
Through Alibaba’s services and technology, companies seeking to expand their China market share like Wyeth are able to deepen their relationships with customers by providing insights on their buying patterns and preferences.
“Tmall provides a very good platform for us to have direct contact with our customers,” said Qu.
During the 11.11 period, Wyeth will also use Alibaba’s technology to connect 160 stores across China to create “smart stores,” which enable in-store visitors to receive discounts both online and offline simply by tapping on their phone to become Illuma members.
“What’s our Double 11 goal this year? To enjoy this party with our customers!” Qu said.
