Gallo signs deal with Alibaba to launch online flagship store
E&J Gallo has signed a three year business partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.
As part of the deal, a new E&J Gallo Winery store will open later this year on Alibaba’s Tmall, which is China’s largest platform for both international and Chinese brands and retailers. The Californian winery will also be featured on Tmall’s Supermarket, Hema Supermarket and RT-Mart, which employ technology and consumer insights to provide consumers with a more efficient shopping experience.
This is not the first time that the Gallo, the world’s largest family owned winery, has teamed up with Tmall; in the past they have collaborated for the Carlo Rossi, Peter Vella and Gallo Family Vineyard brands.
The new Gallo online store will feature over 20 of the company’s premium wine brands including Orin Swift, La Marca, Apothick and Dark Horse, to fulfil the burgeoning demand for quality wine in China.
In 2017 China was the world’s third largest wine importer by value at $16.4bn, but that is expected to soar by 40% to $22.97bn by 2021, which would catapult the country into the second most valuable wine market in the world.
“We are very excited to continue our on-going partnership and collaboration with Alibaba Group,” said Gallo Asia’s vice president and general manager Bill McMorran. “As we have witnessed the rising sophistication of wine consumers in China, we are continuously looking for new ways to meet growing consumer demand."
The Gallo store will open on Tmall on September 9.