Gucci strengthens its market presence in China by announcing a partnership with the Alibaba Group’s Tmall platform. This allows the Florentine brand to enter the Luxury Pavilion, the group’s virtual store dedicated to the luxury market, where it will be present with two digital flagship stores. The first digital flagship store debuts today 21 December with fashion products; The opening of the flagship store for products in the beauty sector is scheduled for February 2021 (the store will be managed by the company Coty, holder of the license).
“Gucci has strategically and systematically invested in a ‘digital first’ approach on a global level. This includes creating a solid digital ecosystem in China, ”explains Marco Bizzarri, CEO of Gucci. “Today’s announcement allows us to offer our customers in China an authorized and personalized e-commerce experience on Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion, in collaboration with Alibaba”.
Chinese customers already accounted for around 35% of luxury goods purchases before the pandemic. Consulting firm Bain predicts that by 2025 they will account for nearly half of global sales of high-end clothing, bags and jewelry. Until recently, the big names in luxury were wary of Chinese digital platforms. They were often accused of not having enough control over online trading to protect brands. But the arrival of Covid has upset our lives and our habits. Hence the surrender of luxury to reality to continue growing in a new world.
Launched in 2017, the Tmall Luxury Pavilion has now become an increasingly crucial access point to the Chinese luxury market for fashion brands. It currently has a consumer base of 750 million users and as many as 200 international brands. The products range from clothing, to beauty items, to watches and luxury cars.
