TMall begins courting luxury gen-z consumers

Tmall, a Chinese online destination for high-end and designer brands, announced new features to bolster luxury brands’ connections with China’s gen-z consumers, a digital-first fashion-forward customer base that is fast becoming a driver of global luxury consumption.

Tmall Luxury launched three new features to educate, entertain and engage the new generation of luxury buyers: Soho Live, a daily livestreaming service focusing on all things luxury; Soho Mag, a content-rich channel with the latest fashion news jointly developed with fashion editors and trend-setting influencers; and an upgraded membership program offering personalized services to high-value customers.

“By providing Tmall’s unparalleled analytics and insights on luxury consumption in China, we empower luxury brands with a deeper and more accurate understanding of local consumer preferences,” said Mike Hu, Alibaba Group vice president and general manager of Tmall Luxury, Fashion and FMCG, said in a statement. “These insights allow luxury brands to precisely tailor their communications to Chinese young audiences, while staying true to their brand identities.”

“Being on a digital platform such as Tmall allows Golden Goose to talk to consumers across China about the brand's integrity, craftsmanship and its versatile range of products and to grow in a way that ensures both quality and quantity,” said Mauro Maggioni, Asia-Pacific CEO of Italian high-fashion brand Golden Goose, in a statement. Golden Goose launched on the Pavilion earlier this month. Maggioni added that China is the most ideal market to tell the brand story, thanks to the ecosystem that has already been in place.

Switzerland based luxury brand, Bally, has seen double-digit growth since launching its online flagship store on Alibaba Group’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion in May 2019. “Leveraging Tmall’s capabilities as part of the Alibaba ecosystem means we can improve our understanding of customers to better capture their needs and find new ways to acquire and retain clients,” said Bally CEO Nicolas Girotto in a statement. “Our latest initiatives have delivered good results – supported by dedicated capsules and new tactics, including livestreaming that has contributed to year-over-year growth of more than 820 percent.”