Fashion
Luxury platform Farfetch welcomes two strategically important shareholders: Alibaba and Richemont together invest 1.1 billion dollar in the company. It is a first step towards consolidation in the online luxury industry.
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General
Nearly 60% of all online sales worldwide are made by just six large companies. Four of these are based in China. This is shown in a new report from Activate Consulting.
Furniture
Swedish furniture giant Ikea has started selling its articles via Alibaba's Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall. It is the first time in its 77-year history that the furniture giant sells through a third party.
Tmall, the online platform for Western Alibaba brands, is updating the look of its virtual shops. The new concept, Flagship Store 2.0, offers more personalisation, brand experience and augmented reality.
Roland Palmer will be stepping down as CEO of Alibaba in the Benelux, and he will be the last one to have held that position: the region will be broken up, with Belgium and Luxemburg being assigned to France. Meanwhile, Tmall is still expanding with an anglophone portal.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba saw its turnover grow by 41 % in the past quarter. Analysts are still worried, as this is the lowest turnover increase in three years' time.
Uterqüe, a subsidiary of Spanish fashion group Inditex, has started its own shop on Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall. The accessory and fashion label also wants to open physical stores in China later on.
Swedish H&M has opened a web shop on Chinese platform Tmall. The company has been through a difficult year with a turnover drop, and the cooperation with Alibaba's platform is a first step following its new strategy that focuses more on online sales.
m-Tail
Amazon Go’s automated supermarkets have not yet arrived, but Alibaba already has its answers ready. The Chinese online retailer has showcased Tmall Supermart, filled with technology: from virtual fitting rooms to facial recognition.
Move aside Christmas turnover, Singles’ Day is the world’s largest shopping holiday – by far. Last year, Alibaba generated a 22 billion euro turnover in a single day! As even local websites (like Bol.com) are starting to take advantage of the day, are we heading to a new retail calendar?
Dutch clothing brand Tumble ’N Dry will head to China in September, with its own web shop on Alibaba subsidiary, Tmall. It will become the first non-European market for the brand.
Food
German supermarket chain Lidl has launched its own web shop in China on Alibaba’s online platform Tmall, similar to what many other Western companies have done.
Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba has surpassed the 3 trillion yuan milestone in online sales this week, meaning a 23 % increase compared to last year and three times as much as merely 4 years ago.
