Alibaba’s Ele.me launches mini-programme in Douyin

Customers can now place orders through the social media app.

Alibaba Group’s Ele.me is teaming up with Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, opening the food delivery platform to some 600 million daily active users on the ByteDance-owned social media platform, the company said in a press release.

Consumers can stream videos, browse merchant offerings and place restaurant orders, through an Ele.me mini-program embedded in the Douyin app, which Alibaba will fulfil.

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The move aligns with a broader opening up of digital platforms and greater interoperability across China, Alibaba said. China’s food delivery market is forecast to exceed $137.69b (RMB941.74b) this year, up from $118.7b (RMB811.7b) in 2021.

Alibaba noted that the penetration rate of online delivery apps rose to 52.7% by December last year, up from 42.3% in 2020, according to Beijing-based consultancy Daxue.