According to a recent report L2 Think Tank seven of the 27 brands examined offer Chinese ecommerce, while third-party retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Net-A-Porter are ahead of the game with their tailored digital shopping platforms. Other key areas of improvement for luxury fashion marketers that are looking to reel in Chinese consumers include targeting Chinese tourists, site optimization and mobile marketing.
“Due to continued counterfeits, cannibalization and issues with logistics, most major luxury brands have been reluctant to invest in ecommerce,” said Emma Li, research lead at L2 Think Tank, New York. “Over the past year, retail investment slowed down in China as brands took a more wait-and-see attitude due to the country’s slower economic growth and crackdown on public spending on luxury goods,” she said.
Luxury brands with minor e-commerce operations in China include: Alfred Dunhill, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Bally, Balenciaga, Ermenegildo Zegna, Chloé, Givenchy, Salvatore Ferragamo, Diane von Furstenberg, Hermès, Fendi, Versace, Prada and Ralph Lauren. By contrast, Burberry, Chanel and Louis Vuitton have the best performing e-commerce in China.
Many of the brands studied have established Chinese-language Web sites, but less than half of them have tailored customer service. Three of these brands’ Chinese-language sites feature live chat. Also, Hugo Boss and Coach are the only marketers in the report to offer on-site Chinese language ratings and reviews.
Mobile is another missed opportunity for luxury fashion marketers in China. Android controls 90 percent of China’s smartphone market, per L2. However, none of the 27 brands studied have a Chinese-language Android application. Additionally, Burberry is the only marketer studied that operates a mobile commerce site.
adapted from luxurydaily.com
Louis Vuitton Chinese website
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