• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 9, 2016

Dentsu Aegis Network is bulking up on its mobile e-commerce capabilities in China with the acquisition of Shanghai VeryStar Internet Science and Technology Co.  

VeryStar will become part of DAN’s Isobar China and will be rebranded as “VeryStar – Linked by Isobar.” The firm has rebranded several previous acquisitions in the country with the “Linked by” moniker including digital agency OMP--Linked by Isobar, which it acquired in 2012 and social creative shop Verawom--Linked by Isobar, which it bought in 2014.

Established in 2011, VeryStar is based in Shanghai and has now grown to more than 70 employees, with a client roster that includes Uniqlo, Pizza Hut and KFC.

VeryStar founder and CEO Milan Jiang will continue to lead the agency, reporting to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO Isobar China Group. The Group, with an estimated 1,000 staffers, also includes Isobar China, and Trio Isobar, which the group acquired in 2013.

Nick Waters CEO Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific said: “China is now the largest e-commerce market in the world and this is a key capability for the Group. VeryStar offers a rare opportunity to bring in that expertise to take full advantage of the rapid growth of the commerce market over the next few years.”

Research firm eMarketer projects that e-commerce sales will surpass the trillion-dollar mark by 2017.