Blackmores looks for healthy growth in China's nutrition market

In addition to supplying its products, Blackmores will leverage the user data provided by NetEase Kaola to develop more nutrition supplements tailor-made to Chinese consumers for exclusive sales on the portal.

Blackmores said it wishes to become the first brand that surpasses 200 million yuan ($28.7 million) in annual sales at NetEase Kaola this year. The cooperation in cross-border e-commerce between the two companies can be traced back to 2015.

Osborne said that with the aid of e-commerce platforms such as NetEase Kaola, Blackmores could rapidly gain a foothold in the Chinese market.

With the help of the Blackmores Institute, the collaboration between the two sides will enable a rollout of five to 10 new types of Blackmores products on a yearly basis to help meet the health demands of Chinese consumers.

Founded in 1932, the Australian brand focuses on a natural approach to health, based on its expertise in vitamins, minerals, herbs and nutrients.

Blackmores improves people's lives by delivering natural health solutions, CEO Henfrey said.

"We achieve this by translating our unrivaled heritage and knowledge into innovative, quality and branded natural healthcare solutions that work," he said.

Over the past 86 years, Blackmores has focused on innovation in the health supplements field, with more than 10 million Australian dollars ($7.2 million) spent annually on research and development and clinical research.

Blackmores has been ranked the most trusted brand in natural health in Australia for 10 consecutive years. Since it entered the Chinese market in 2012, the company said it has kept its stringent standards in quality control to win consumers' hearts.

In March 2017, Blackmores signed a memorandum of understanding with Tmall Global to apply blockchain technology to the food supply chain in a bid to prevent fraud.

In July that year, Blackmores was elected vice-president company of the China Association for Quality Inspection.

During their recent visit to China, company executives announced their intent to continue working with nonprofit watchdog organizations, such as CAQI, to maintain the brand's image of quality and reliance among Chinese consumers.