Mumbai, June 30: Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant, is looking to ride the e-commerce wave.

The company has formed a global network of teams to test and roll out different models to service this channel in various markets, including India, Harish Manwani, chairman of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), said here today.

Manwani, while addressing shareholders at the company's 83rd AGM, said the focus was to simultaneously build and deploy world-class capabilities across all operating companies, even as he indicated that HUL had the capability to leverage global technology and best practice in this channel and deploy it in a relevant manner for India.

"Technology is changing the retail landscape. E-commerce is one of the fastest growing channels internationally, with a growth rate of 15 per cent in the US, 60 per cent in China and 80 per cent in India in the last three years. Unilever has been investing in building world-class organisational capabilities to ensure that its brand portfolio enjoys a fair share in this channel,'' he said.

He noted that technology has created a level-playing field between the developed and developing markets.

On the impact of digitisation he said, "The ability of global organisations to leverage new digital capabilities and roll them out rapidly across markets is an important aspect of winning in this new digital world."

However, Manwani cited a key paradox in today's interconnected world.

He pointed out that while trends were gaining global scale and significance, consumers were becoming more rooted in their local cultures and identities. This is even seen in India where digitally-aware consumers demand the best products and services from across the world but at the same time are re-discovering and celebrating local customs, tastes and festivals.

"While managing multi-country operations, it is important to strike a right balance between seeking international leverage in terms of innovation and local relevance to meet consumer needs," he said.<>Creating a right organisation and mindset is critical to achieving this balance,'' he said.

Manwani said the parent was also harnessing the potential of `Big Data' to create and globally deploy leading-edge operational and marketing capabilities. In this context, two major initiatives have been launched-'LiveWire' which is an innovative cross-functional analytical platform that enables real-time decision-making across operating units and the 'People Data Centre' which uses advanced analytics to provide real-time consumer insights and enable personalised consumer engagement.

It has also provided the global companies an opportunity to build digital capabilities and rapidly roll out technology-based business models.