Marc Jacobs opens Chinese digital flagship
A U.S. upscale fashion brand is launching an online store on Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Tmall e-commerce platform.
Marc Jacobs is debuting its digital flagship on Tmall Luxury Pavilion, Alibaba’s dedicated platform for luxury and premium brands. The new online store will feature Marc Jacobs’ ready-to-wear, accessories, handbags, and footwear collections, helping the brand reach consumers beyond its brick-and-mortar stores in top-tier Chinese cities.
Alibaba and fellow global e-commerce titan Amazon are both focusing on providing luxury retailers with dedicated digital platforms. In May, Alibaba began piloting Luxury Soho, a solution available via its mobile Taobao marketplace and brands’ Tmall flagship stores, to help luxury brands attract younger consumers and those who may be new to luxury.
And in September, Amazon unveiled Luxury Stores, an invite-only mobile shopping experience for select U.S. Prime members. Luxury Stores features collections sold directly from participating brands as a “store-within-a-store” experience and kicked off with items from Oscar de la Renta’s pre-fall and fall/winter 2020 collections.
To mark Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s third anniversary in September 2020, Marc Jacobs will be among 19 brands that will be featured on the platform over the month-long celebration. Nearly 200 global brands have opened flagship stores on Tmall Luxury Pavilion.
“Chinese customers have long been some of the most exciting lovers of fashion with such original style,” said creative director Marc Jacobs. “We want to present authentic designs with the best possible shopping experience, and partnering with Tmall Luxury Pavilion allows us to do just that.”
“Digital expansion is key to meet the needs of our growing audience in China,” said Eric Marechalle, CEO of Marc Jacobs. “Tmall Luxury Pavilion provides us with an opportunity to connect with smart, digitally savvy luxury consumers while also providing valuable insights and tools to strategically expand the Marc Jacobs business in China.”
“Marc Jacobs is one of the most iconic American brands and we are very pleased to have their digital flagship store join Tmall Luxury Pavilion,” said Mike Hu, Alibaba Group VP and general manager of Tmall Luxury, Fashion and FMCG. “We look forward to partnering with Marc Jacobs and helping them grow their business by connecting them with the large and growing generation of digital-first, Gen Z luxury shoppers in China.”
Launched in 2008, Tmall serves as a platform for consumers in China and overseas to buy both homegrown and internationally branded goods, as well as products not available in traditional retail outlets. In the 12 months ended March 31, 2020, Tmall was the largest third-party online and mobile commerce platform for brands and retailers in the world in terms of gross merchandise value (GMV), according to Analysys.