Unilever has signed a strategic partnership deal with e-commerce operator Alibaba aimed at expanding its presence in China. Unilever, who has operated a store on Alibaba’s Tmall platform for five years, will gain further distribution channels in rural areas and improved supply chains.

The deal will also give Unilever access to Alibaba’s data analytics to enable the FMCG giant to identify online-to-offline retail opportunities, enabling Unilever to reach match supply with demand in rural areas.

All Unilever products sold via Alibaba will be branded with a QR code connected to the e-commerce company’s Blue Star program, enabling consumers to verify that the goods are genuine.