BMW signed an MoU with an e-commerce giant (Alibaba) for a strategic partnership promoting digital transformation across businesses. BMW becomes the first auto manufacturer to leverage the Alibaba Business Operating System.
On October 26, BMW and Alibaba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strategic partnerships in Beijing. Sticking to the principle of “complementary advantages and win-win cooperation”, the both sides will optimize their own resources. In addition, carry out comprehensive cooperation in marketing, branding, end-to-end operations, services, information technology, etc. The partnership provides digitalization to BMW’s full business process and empowers dealers with an ability to provide an end-to-end and online-to-offline digital experience for customers.
Jochen Goller, President and CEO of BMW Group Region China commented, “Cross-industry collaboration and open innovation exchange are crucial to acceleration of our company’s ongoing digitalization. As an e-commerce giant, Alibaba has unique competencies in terms of digital technologies, large scale customer platforms as well as targeted consumers operations. We are delighted to join hands with one of China’s leading tech enterprises, giving us an opportunity to create ‘holistic online-to-offline digital brand experiences’ for our Chinese consumers, and simultaneously increase our portfolio of digital products and services.”
Jet Jing, Vice President of Alibaba Group said, “As one of the most innovative international premium automakers, BMW is an industry leader with outstanding products and services. Now BMW is once again leading the race of digital transformation, becoming the first auto manufacturer to leverage Alibaba Business Operating System (ABOS). This system will help accelerate the digital operations across BMW’s business segments, aiming to provide end-to-end customer-centric services throughout the product lifecycle and high-quality growth by expanding, connecting, and serving customers in a more efficient way.”
According to the partnership, BMW and Alibaba will jointly launch the first online sales and services platform engaging dealers, among premium auto brands, to create a smooth end-to-end online-to-offline digital experience. In the future, online traffic will be directed to BMW dealers to create more business opportunities for them. Moreover, with the assistance of Alibaba’s membership system, BMW and MINI will launch brands’ membership services and marketing campaigns on Alibaba’s various online platforms. This partnership will also be enhancing customer loyalty, multiplying users’ level of activity, and surging business growth.