New Zealand dairy group Fonterra Co-operative Group said on Thursday it plans to conduct a trial of online sales of eat-at-home ice cream tubs in China as it shifts its focus to higher-margin consumer products following a slump in dairy prices.

Fonterra will sell its "Tip Top" brand of ice cream on Tmall, an e-commerce provider operated by Alibaba Group Holding, the dairy group said.

China is the world's biggest ice cream market and sales soared 90 percent to $11.4 billion in the six years to 2014, according to research by Mintel, which warned that a vast array of low-price local brands would be a challenge for international competitors.

Fonterra said the Chinese market for ice cream eaten at home was still small.