New Zealand Post has joined Tmall Global, the Alibaba Group’s popular online marketplace. The storefront offers the opportunity for NZ companies to sell their products directly to the Chinese market.
NZ Post is selling its stamps and coins in the store, along with products from Weta Workshop, Christchurch-based natural health product Xtend life and Hauroa Honey that sells a premium honey brand that is made by Arataki in the Hawkes Bay.
Sohail Choudhry, NZ Post’s executive GM e-commerce and customer solutions, said that the online store is supported by an end to end supply chain and is designed to assist NZ companies expanding into the China market.
“The Tmall Global store, called ‘Gift from New Zealand’ (Xinxilan), represents a tremendous opportunity for Kiwi companies to put themselves and their products in front of hundreds of millions of online shoppers in China,” he said.
“Companies will be able to focus more on strategy, marketing and customer relationships and less on digital operations and logistics by capitalising on New Zealand Post’s extensive networks and trusted relationships in China to get their products to consumers.”
Choudhry said the store is initially being limited to four companies to allow NZ Post to fine tune systems.
Warren Matthews, Xtend Life chairman, said that China is not an easy market, and that the NZ Post web store is a practical way to enter with minimal risk. The company has strong growth expectations, and Matthews said he would be disappointed if the company wasn’t selling in the six figures plus per month when fully established.
Magnus Hjert, Weta Workshop online manager, said that Weta sold out of six products listed in the store in just two days following a Tmall.com promotion.
The channel’s ability to control the sales process in China is one of the attractions, Rhys Flack, Arataki Honey sales manager, said.
“It’s important that there’s an ability to control quality – knowing traceability will come right back to us and that the labels will have integrity.
“Like most New Zealand companies, it’s unchartered waters for us. We’re not used to having hundreds of millions of potential customers on the doorstep looking for our product.”
