Ningbo reaches a strategic agreement with Pinduoduo, an e-commerce platform with roughly 585 million registered users, on March 25. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn] 

Ningbo reached a strategic agreement with Pinduoduo, an e-commerce platform with roughly 585 million registered users, on March 25.

A digital store featuring products from Ningbo has been launched on Pinduoduo. The move comes as part of local authorities’ efforts to help companies expand domestic markets in the face of the gloomy foreign trade landscape caused by the worldwide epidemic. 

Experts predict that this year, more than 15,000 local companies will establish a presence on the platform and make more than 80 billion yuan ($11.59 billion) in sales.

The Ningbo store on Pinduoduo has already accumulated more than 100 enterprises, selling products such as smart home appliances, kitchenware, stationery, clothing, food, and maternal and children’s items. 

In addition to the new store, Ningbo and Pinduoduo are also set to cement their collaboration in digital marketing and smart manufacturing. 

Also, joint efforts will be made to create exclusive live broadcasting platforms to promote regional brands from Ningbo and its various counties and districts. 

Meanwhile, Pinduoduo will also help the city develop an e-commerce live broadcasting sector by introducing various institutions and enterprises. 

The e-commerce company will also provide the city with support such as data and R&D assistance in order to promote smart production. 

Zhejiang Sanhe Kitchenware Co Ltd, based in Cixi, a county-level city in Ningbo, established a partnership with Pingduoduo as early as 2018.

Pinduoduo provides data support for Sanhe to aid in product design, research, and development. By the end of 2019, the average monthly sales of the kitchenware manufacturer on Pinduoduo were valued at 3 million yuan. This number is expected to exceed 40 million yuan in 2020.