Shiseido unveils product development partnership with Alibaba

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 1, 2019

Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido has signed a business partnership with China’s Alibaba to develop new products for the Chinese market.

The partnership will see Shiseido use Alibaba’s big data and consumer insights to develop new products based on what Chinese consumers are searching for on its Tmall website. The first co-developed products, a ‘mild and refreshing scalp shampoo’ and an ‘essence oil for split ends’, will launch on Tmall under Shiseido’s hair and body care brand Aquair in September.

With nearly 700 million users, Alibaba Group will be a key partner to help Shiseido drive growth in China. After Japan, China is its biggest source of revenue and the Japanese company has been setting up several initiatives there in recent months to further accelerate its growth.

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Alibaba’s data will aid Shiseido in its product development process and help it attract new consumers, especially the younger demographic.

The partnership will also see the companies collaborate on brand marketing, ecommerce, CRM and other areas.

Shiseido has opened a dedicated office in Hangzhou, China where it will work on its business partnership with Alibaba.

Earlier this year, the company also opened an innovation and investment office in China to promote strategic alliances with startups.