Fridges in Villages as E-Commerce Goes Rural

(Beijing) – Deliverymen lugging refrigerators and washing machines have fanned out across rural China as part of an unusual marketing campaign launched by Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd.

For one week through July 20, the company has offered to deliver all home appliances bought through its three shopping websites – Taobao, Tmall and Juhuasuan – at no extra charge to farmers and other rural buyers in about 500,000 villages nationwide.