EL SEGUNDO, Calif. and
HANGZHOU, China, Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mattel, Inc.
(NASDAQ: MAT), the leading global childhood play and development
company, today announced a new strategic partnership with Alibaba
Group (NYSE: BABA), the world's largest online and mobile commerce
company. Leveraging Mattel's iconic brands and expertise in play as
well as Alibaba's wealth of data and insights into the Chinese
consumer base, the expanded partnership aims to re-shape the way
parents in China think about
play.
Alibaba Group's unrivaled scale and data-driven approach to
consumer insights will enable Mattel to tailor their market and
product strategy. With more than 440 million active buyers across
its e-commerce platforms, Alibaba is helping Mattel meet the
ever-growing and changing needs of Chinese consumers with a
strategic omni-channel approach spanning online-to-offline
(O2O).
As part of this expanded collaboration, Mattel will not only be
marketing and selling to China via
Alibaba's B2C marketplace Tmall.com, but also leveraging the
company's media ecosystem to develop and promote learning resources
and educational content – inspired by Mattel's beloved brands and
characters – to help parents and families get the most out of play.
Additionally, Mattel will be working with Alibaba's A.I. Lab to develop new and innovative products,
designed to aid child development through the use of cutting-edge
technology and smart, interactive learning.
"Play has a tremendous impact on a child's cognitive, social and
emotional growth," said Margo
Georgiadis, CEO of Mattel. "By combining Mattel's unmatched
expertise in childhood learning and development, with Alibaba's
immense reach and unique consumer insights, our goal is to help
parents in China raise children to
be their personal best."
"Alibaba empowers leading global brands to digitally transform
their businesses and address the fast-changing Chinese consumer
landscape," said Daniel Zhang, CEO
of Alibaba Group. "We look forward to supporting Mattel's growth
through our robust data and commerce technology infrastructure,
which will help to elevate their overall business from product
development to brand-building to rural penetration for this unique
and massive market."
Ms. Georgiadis added, "The multi-billion dollar toy category in
China is highly fragmented, with
tremendous potential for growth. Working with Alibaba, we see a
terrific opportunity to develop and lead the category."
Mattel and Alibaba will begin product development immediately,
with initial availability planned for mid-2017.
About Alibaba Group
Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business
anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of
commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live
at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102
years.
For more information and corporate b-roll visit Alibaba's new
corporate site Alizila.com.
About Mattel
Mattel is a creations company that inspires the wonder of
childhood. Our mission is to be the recognized leader in play,
learning and development worldwide. Mattel's portfolio of global
consumer brands includes American Girl®, Barbie®, Fisher-Price®,
Hot Wheels®, Monster High® and Thomas & Friends®, among many
others. Mattel also creates a wealth of lines and products made in
collaboration with leading entertainment and technology companies.
With a global workforce of approximately 31,000 people, Mattel
operates in 40 countries and territories and sells products in more
than 150 nations. Visit us online at www.mattel.com.
MAT-CORP
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SOURCE Mattel, Inc.