UPS, a provider of supply chain and freight services, has entered into a strategic alliance with AliExpress, a new online wholesale marketplace launched by Alibaba.com, a small business eCommerce company.
AliExpress allows customers to tailor orders to the requirements of their small businesses, offering small quantity orders, instant online transactions and an escrow service to protect buyers and sellers.
Through the alliance, AliExpress now offers users a benefit of managing their shipping and tracking processes online through UPS shipping technology integrated into AliExpress platform, including an ability to print UPS shipping labels and request pick-up for their UPS packages all from within the AliExpress website.
The company said that many of the suppliers who sell on AliExpress are long-time members of Alibaba.com and have been working with overseas buyers for years through the site. The initial supplier base includes companies from mainland China but the platform eventually will be open to international suppliers as well.
David Wei, CEO of Alibaba.com, said: “Our partnership with UPS is crucial to the success of AliExpress, as one of our main goals is to make international trade for our buyers and sellers, including the shipping of their products, as easy, safe and convenient as possible.”
