Chinese e-commerce website Dangdang Inc on Wednesday joined hands with yhd.com, a Wal-Mart Stores Inc-backed online grocery store, to spur their sales and market share.

Yu Gang, chairman and co-founder of Shanghai-headquartered yhd.com, said the partnership will boost both sides' profits and improve the user experience.

"We are aiming to serve our customers the full spectrum of goods, but we do not have enough energy to sell all items. That's why we reached out to Dangdang for a longer product list," Yu said.

"Food and cosmetics were the major revenue losses for Dangdang. It's natural for us to find a partner to help us gain an edge in these areas,” said Dangdang CEO Li Guoqing.

The partnership currently only allows one-time orders and payments for products on both websites. The companies are likely to integrate storage and delivery services in the future.

Dangdang, based in Beijing, is the nation's largest online seller of books. The website has one of the largest active buyer network in the industry, Li said.

Dangdang said last week it returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Its net income was 21.7 million yuan ($3.6 million) in the October to December period last year.

Li said the company will "try to improve its profitability" in the coming quarters, declining to provide specific figures.

Dangdang was the seventh-biggest e-commerce website by market share, according to industry consultancy Analysys International.

gaoyuan@chinadaily.com.cn