The strategic partnership signing ceremony between ASC’s CEO Bruno Baudry and Fang Wai, Tmall’s general manager of FMCG

The agreement has included that ASC’s flagship wine store on Tmall will be upgraded with new brands added to the product portfolio and that ASC will step its digital marketing and branding strategy in a bid to target more Chinese wine consumers.

ASC will also launch an online promotional event called ‘ASC520-ASC I Love You’ on its Tmall flagship store. The event is to be supported by offline events, promotional sales and competitions and an online auction of premium wines with the aim of generating excitement about buying wine online.

“Tmall has long been an important partner of ASC’s online business,” said Bruno Baudry, ASC Fine Wine’s CEO.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to enhance our partnership with Tmall. Alibaba Group has become the world’s biggest retailer. And we have confirmed that, with a long-term cooperation on optimising the allocation of resources, enhancing customer experience, and safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers, we will find out the most effective way to introduce ASC’s fine wine selection to wine-lovers, especially young consumers.”

E-commerce has become a key distribution channel for wine companies in China since it is viewed as offering quality and value for money. Figures for 2015 show that the e-commerce market reached a total value of 16.2 trillion RMB ($US2.53 trillion) with a 21.2% year-on-year growth.

Major e-commerce platforms, such as Tmall, have played a positive role in boosting China’s wine industry. They have the crucial advantage of complete nationwide coverage, driving growth by making wine available to everyone in China with a laptop or smartphone.

According to the company’s figures on alcoholic beverage transactions, roughly 23 million bottles of wine were sold via Tmall during 2015. Currently, over 3,740 brands from more than 30 countries are presented on Tmall.