Microsoft opens flagship China online store on Alibaba's Tmall.com
Microsoft, the world's largest software company, has expanded its product offering to include its own Surface media tablet and Windows-based personal computers and smartphones from brand-name manufacturers.
Kevin Eagan, the vice-president of e-commerce for Microsoft Retail Stores, said: "Microsoft sees great potential in China's e-commerce market."
Zhang said he expected the collaboration with Microsoft, which has long relied on traditional retail sales, would "further streamline the divide between offline and online retail offering". He said: "We look forward to engaging in an even deeper strategic co-operation model with Microsoft."
JP Morgan has estimated that the gross merchandise value of the mainland's online shopping market will be US$436 billion by 2015, accounting for 8.5 per cent of total retail sales. That expansion will be aided by the mainland's fast-growing online population, which swelled to 538 million at the end of June. This number is expected to reach 800 million by 2015.
The global consultancy firm Bain & Company has predicted that mainland China will overtake the United States as the world's biggest e-commerce market this year.