Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will make more oversea brand available at its rural service stations during the upcoming Chinese new year, it announced Thursday.

Alibaba said will begin a campaign in mid-January to promote local specialty products to urban online shoppers and more than 500 overseas products to rural buyers ahead of the Spring Festival, a time when families tend to shop more to prepare for the celebration.

Chinese online retailers, chief among them Alibaba and JD.com, have been seeking to unlock the consumption potential in rural China. Alibaba and JD.com have both established physical stations in rural areas with computers and products displayed to educate rural Chinese on how to shop online.

Alibaba said it has built more than 8,000 rural Taobao stations where villagers can shop on Alibaba's online marketplace and bring their own farm produce and local specialties to sell online.

It added the upcoming campaign marks the first time more than 500 global brands will be exposed to rural consumers through its Taobao stations.

Such stations have increased branded products' exposure to rural consumers whereas a less developed physical retail infrastructure in rural China has limited farmers' choices.

A study by consulting firm Bain & Company found online retail has reduced the disparity in sales of branded products between China's top and lower tier cities, thanks to the growing penetration of the internet in China.

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