To strengthen its position in the mobile internet market, eCommerce giant Alibaba has acquired Chinese Android application distributor Wandoujia.
Wandoujia will merge with Alibaba’s mobile business unit, which includes UC Browser and online mapping service AutoNavi.
“Both companies share the same strategic vision, and we believe Alibaba’s mobile business and Wandoujia could form a strong product offering and deliver synergies under new mobile internet trends,” says Alibaba mobile business group president Yu Yongfu.
Wandoujia founder Wang Junyu says that combining each other’s resources and data analytic capabilities will help shape future growth.
Both companies decline to comment on the financial details, but the deal is said to be worth about US$200 million.
Launched in 2010, Wandoujia was one of the earliest Android app distributors in China. Former Google China head Kaifu Lee’s Innovation Works, Softbank Group and DCM have invested in it.
According to Beijing-based Big Data Research, Baidu, Tencent and Qihoo 360 took the top spots among Android app distributors in China in the first quarter of this year.