BEIJING--Consumer products giant Unilever PLC (UL) and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (BABA) said Monday they have signed an agreement to work together to better reach China's rural consumers, expand the use of data to improve Unilever's online advertising strategy, and other initiatives.

The companies will also collaborate further on tagging each Unilever product with unique QR codes to allow consumers to verify the product's authenticity, Alibaba said in a statement.

China's retail trends suggest that Unilever has been among several Western companies that have been feeling the pain of the shift of Chinese consumers to online shopping. Unilever's China sales plunged in the second half of last year, which the company attributed to a slowing Chinese economy and a pullback in consumer spending.

Write to Gillian Wong at Gillian.wong@wsj.com

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