A new collection by British high-end fashion brand and CBI member, Burberry, that was only available to buy through Chinese social media apps, has sold out in one month.
Named the ‘B Series’, Burberry’s new line aims to better cater towards the Chinese fashion market by following a new and unique production cycle, which matches the monthly launch schedule of the Asian fashion world rather than the West’s seasonal timeframe. On top of this, the ‘B Series’ also features a new way of reaching out to customers and selling into the China market. Burberry’s latest collection takes advantage of China’s booming e-commerce industry and is only available through social media shopping platforms.
Burberry’s shift in how it sells into the China market brought results – the collection sold out in four hours.
The fashion house has made clear that it is in the midst of a transition and repositioning phase that places a greater emphasis on the China and wider Asian markets.
Over the last couple of months, Burberry have announced a series of partnerships with social media apps that are particularly popular with Chinese consumers - such as WeChat and Weibo - in an attempt to develop to build customer loyalty through increased engagement on social media.
Burberry has also taken steps to change its concept and design process to better cater to the China and Asian markets by bringing in Riccardo Tisci from Givenchy – where he is credited as having successfully led the French fashion house’s transition from European to Asian fusion.
Burberry point to the gothic touches and minimalism in their new ‘B Series’ collection as evidence that the brand has successfully transitioned towards an aesthetic preferred in Asia. Furthermore, the new collection places more emphasis on items which are ‘ready to wear’ rather than high fashion pieces. This is because of the fact that in the China market branded sweatshirts and T-shirts appear to be held in much higher regard than in Europe, where the same products are considered to be comfort wear and not fashion statements.
The next ‘B Series’ collection will be launched on November 17th.
Burberry executives are confident that the line will enjoy repeat success because the new sales concept of selling through social media platforms has prompted much higher levels of engagement online and attracted twice the number of new and younger customers to the brand compared to statistics from February.
Burberry also said that comparable store sales in the Asia-Pacific were outpacing figures from Europe, as spending rose in Mainland China and Chinese travellers shifted their spending from European to Asian tourist destinations, particularly Hong Kong.
Burberry has plans to expand its physical presence in China also, and has an upcoming store opening in Xi’an.
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