Bayer AG and Alibaba Health (Ali-Health), a unit of Alibaba Group Holding, have formed a strategic partnership to make Bayer's self-care products and solutions more accessible for Chinese consumers.

According to the agreement, Bayer will use the big data provided by the Alibaba platform to follow health trends among Chinese and better satisfy their self-care demands.

"We will form an all-around partnership in marketing, promotion and operation within the medical ecosystem of Alibaba," says He Yong, vice-president and head of marketing and innovation of Bayer Consumer Health China.

AliHealth's ability in big data management and analysis will offer precise and in-depth understanding of each consumer, so that Bayer can tailor adequate self-care products and solutions for them, which is the German company's expertise.

Alibaba's understanding of consumers' behavior has reached such a level that everybody's Taobao is different due to purchasing preferences and buying history, says Liu Xiaofei, marketing director of Ali-Health.

Celina Chew, president of Bayer Greater China Group, says: "In China, the government's 'Healthy China 2030' plan aims to provide equal access to health services for every citizen by 2030.

Self-care will be one of the key drivers in the overall medical system to achieve this goal."

Being an important indicator of people's self-care capability, health literacy refers to the ability to obtain, read, understand and use healthcare information in order to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment.

The cooperation is also aimed at enhancing Chinese consumers' literacy in self-healthcare by offering personalized online medical consulting on health and diet by Bayer specialists through Ali-Health's digital platform.

The consumption upgrade, rising awareness about personal healthcare and growth of e-commerce are making digital consumer health a promising sector, says He.

Bayer started to offer its over-the-counter products on Tmall's flagship store in 2016 and, to date, has launched seven flagship stores in a variety of e-commerce platforms in China.

In June, GSK Consumer Healthcare entered into a partnership with Alibaba to offer Chinese consumers better services and access to its health products.

China is Bayer Consumer Health's second-largest market after the United States.

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(China Daily European Weekly 10/27/2017 page29)