Alibaba.com and Maersk have announced a strategic collaboration on LCL (less than container load) and FCL (full container load) shipping services. 

The partnership with the Chinese e-commerce giant will integrate Maersk's logistics offerings into Alibaba.com's ecommerce platform.

Through this integration, business users on Alibaba's platform will have direct access to transparent and cost-effective shipping options, particularly beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The initiative simplifies the process for buyers by allowing them to easily book shipping services and obtain real-time pricing for bulk shipments. Both buyers and sellers can simultaneously choose Maersk's shipping and logistics options through the Alibaba.com platform.

"With the application in various markets of Europe, US, and Asia Pacific regions, the cooperation will enlarge the orderbook scale and reduce logistics costs by around 10% to create a win-win logistics ecosystem," Alibaba said.

LCL enables the use of palletized boxes and crates or small package boxes. Meanwhile, FCL is an ocean shipment in which the cargo occupies a full container (of any size).

Alibaba owns the world's two largest online marketplaces by gross merchandise value (GMV), Taobao and Tmall. Meanwhile, the Danish shipping company Maersk serves over 370 ports in more than 100 countries.