Royal Mail will extend its partnerships with e-commerce Alibaba to link Chinese sellers directly with UK online shoppers just in time for China’s Singles Day, the company has said.
The extended partnership between the companies means UK consumers will now be able to take advantage of the discounts available during the Singles Day, which is the biggest online shopping day in China, on November 11.
In 2014, Chinese online giant Aliexpress.com saw a 59 per cent growth in one-day UK mobile traffic luring customers with deals, according to digital market intelligence agency SimilarWeb.
Chinese customers spent nearly £6 billion through Alibaba in 24 hours on Singles Day in 2014 and many analysts predict that a new record will be set again this year.
Alibaba is now allowing pre-orders on products available during the 24-hour event so shoppers can reserve items at a specific price a few weeks prior to November 11.
The agreement also offers faster and more secure shipping options for Chinese merchants on Alibaba’s shopping sites for consumers. Delivery times will be cut to two weeks.
Royal Mail said that once a shopper selected delivery through Royal Mail, their item is airfreighted to the UK and goes through the postal system as either tracked or first class post.
China is Royal Mail's largest import country partner, and Royal Mail’s new service for AliExpress further complements this important strategic partnership, according to Richard Snowdon, director at Royal Mail International.
