Shinsegae Group said on Jan. 5 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba International in Beijing, China, to expand the reverse direct purchase market. The agreement was signed as part of a Korea-China business forum hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

Under the MOU, the two sides agreed to cooperate in supplying selected domestic products identified by Shinsegae Group to overseas consumers through Alibaba’s global e-commerce platforms. After laying the groundwork for cooperation last year, including launching a joint venture and forming a board of directors, they plan to begin full-scale execution from 2026.

Gmarket sellers are currently operating in 5 Southeast Asian countries through Alibaba’s Lazada platform. As of December 2025, about 7,000 Gmarket sellers had linked 1.2 million products to Lazada, with transaction value rising about fivefold and order volume about fourfold in two months.

Shinsegae Group and Alibaba aim to expand the reverse direct purchase market in 2026 to South Asia and Southern Europe (Spain and Portugal). In the longer term, they plan to widen their sales network to more than 200 countries and regions where Alibaba operates, with a goal of reaching annual reverse direct purchase transaction value of more than 1 trillion won within 5 years.

Park Jong-hoon, head of the Planning and Strategy Division at Shinsegae Group’s E-Mart unit, said, "The innovative e-commerce cooperation we have prepared for has entered the execution stage." He added, "We will expand the scope of e-commerce beyond Korea into global markets centered on Gmarket."