Net-A-Porter debuts flagship store in Tmall Luxury Pavilion

Dive Brief:

Swiss luxury group Richemont's e-commerce platform Net-A-Porter on Monday announced that it will open a flagship store on Alibaba's Tmall Luxury Pavilion, a platform for premium fashion brands, according to a company statement.
The store will feature the latest Net-A-Porter and Mr. Porter collections from more than 130 luxury brands for women and men, the company said. Over the next few months, the company will expand its Tmall offerings to include brands like Balmain, Jimmy Choo and Tom Ford, as well as Richemont maisons like Cartier. The Tmall store will also feature capsule collections for Net-A-Porter and Mr. Porter.
Net-A-Porter will also roll out customized brand pages, recommendations and exclusive VIP rewards, and personalized content to its Tmall customers, the company said.

Dive Insight:

Net-A-Porter's Tmall store further deepens its relationship with Alibaba. Following Yoox's merger with Net-A-Porter in 2015, Alibaba and Yoox Net-A-Porter announced a joint venture called Feng Mao last year. As noted in the company's announcement, that partnership allows Alibaba to provide its resources and marketing, payments and technology expertise to the brand.

Net-A-Porter's Tmall entry is yet another brand flocking to the e-commerce giant's platform. Other retailers and brands such as Fenty Beauty, H&M and Tory Burch have turned to Tmall for a pathway into the Asian consumer market.

"The unveiling of the Net-a-Porter flagship store on Tmall Luxury Pavilion is an important first step in the development of our long-term partnership with Alibaba," Richemont CEO Jérôme Lambert said in a statement. "Together, we seek to address the sophisticated needs of the Chinese luxury clientele and capture this unique growth opportunity."

The retailer's store opening is also yet another sign that Alibaba's sustained courtship of Western brands is proving to be successful. Back in 2013, Alibaba introduced its how-to guide for Western brands, and the platform launched an English-language site in June 2019.

With Net-A-Porter on the online marketplace, Taobao and Tmall President Jiang Fan said in a statement that the partnership would provide "an elevated, seamless, and rich luxury experience for Chinese consumers."

"We are confident this flagship store opening is just the beginning of a long-term partnership that will benefit China's luxury consumers and the world's luxury brands who want to reach them," he added.