Made in Italy: Chinese platform Mei.com focuses on luxury brands
Milan - The luxury Chinese online platform Mei.com, owned by the Alibaba group, is focusing on Italian fashion brands to expand further its product offer for its Asian customers. Mei.com's initiative was presented on 19 September in Milan, during the fashion week, to the companies in the sector; the event was attended by the managers of around twenty companies in the industry, including Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Giorgio Armani, Moncler and Roberto Cavalli. Mei.com's offer to the big groups to step in the Internet store includes customer assistance and logistics, and was presented by the Management, President Thibault Villet and Executive Director for Europe Mattia Mor, together with Jessica Liu, President of Tmall, online marketplace of the Alibaba group. Reference was made to a study that forecasts that, between 2015 and 2020, the Chinese middle class which today includes 360 million people, 60% of which lives in urban areas will double. The global luxury goods market is worth 250 billion euro, 30% of which is Chinese.
"Tmall is preparing to welcome more and more luxury brands and creating an increasingly sophisticated, dedicated and independent shopping environment and purchasing experience for its customers, in order to attract the new young Chinese generations on Mei.com", said Jessica Liu. "Mei.com - said Thibault Villet - will continue to offer luxury goods to Chinese customers and to put our customers in contact with partner companies, giving them marketing and communication opportunities". Today, the platform founded in 2010 and acquired by Alibaba in 2015, has over 2000 luxury brand partners and a customer base that spends on average 640 euro per month.