Metro China has partnered with Shequ001.com, a pioneering e-commerce site specialising in community etrading, to kick off a series of upgrades to its e-commerce platform.

The changes will be introduced from early next year and Metro says the partnership illustrates the wholesaler’s commitment to driving sales online.

“We are focusing on e-commerce as a key development platform for growth in the China market,” said Jeroen de Groot, president of Metro China.

“Customers are increasingly searching for an integrated purchasing experience that moves between online, offline and mobile, so we are launching new upgrades to meet the needs. As part of our agreement with SQ001, we will leverage its nationwide service network and integrate our own e-commerce channels to expand reach.

“We are confident that this new O2O business model will further increase our customer base in China,” said de Groot.

Last July, Metro China initiated a strategic pilot partnership with SQ001 to expand sales coverage. After a five-month trial period, the partnership reached 36 SQ001’s promotional sites in residential communities covered in Beijing and Shanghai, offering more than 17,000 Metro products with the exception of ultra-fresh products. With SQ001’s advanced eCommerce management system, the partnership provides Metro China’s products to customers through quick and convenient ordering online, via Weibo or WeChat, by smartphone app and at SQ001’s promotional sites offline.

With 80 locations across 56 cities nationwide, Metro China has extensive reach in the nation. The partnership between Metro China and SQ001 will cover all Metro cities across China by 2015. In the future, both parties will explore further opportunities for collaboration, including establishing a seamless cold chain system to deliver ultra-fresh products, and building up and sharing of customer data.