BASF has opened its first online store especially for the Chinese market on the business-to-business platform Alibaba, becoming one of the first multinational chemical companies to have a presence there. One of its goals is to attract more business from small and medium-sized companies.

The German group will begin trading on Alibaba with a wide range of products, ranging from polyamide and the polyurethanes precursor MDI to pigments and dispersions, nutrition and health ingredients. Its platform also supports small retailers of fuel additives and emissions treatment equipment. Buyers can pay for their purchases using Alibaba’s “Alipay” function.

Zheng Daqing, BASF’s Senior Vice President, Business and Market Development Greater China, said SMEs account for 99% of all companies in China, and contribute 60% to the gross domestic product.