Abercrombie launches on Alibaba's Tmall

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jul 20, 2017

Abercrombie & Fitch has announced it is launching both its Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie Kids brands on Alibaba Group's Tmall this month.

Tmall is China's largest platform for brands and consumers. Through Tmall, Alibaba reports reaching 454 million annual buyers. The core consumer is under 35 and shops primarily on their mobile devices. Abercrombie's target customer is in their 20s and shops digitally. Pairing up with Tmall is a data driven move that should result in much needed financial success for Abercrombie as it continues to rebrand.

Moving onto Tmall reveals insight into Abercrombie's plans for chasing the Chinese consumer. Abercrombie recently opened a new retail concept flagship in Hong Kong's Harbour City. Additionally, Abercrombie operates 10 retail stores across China.

Abercrombie's rebranding began with a revitalization of its retail concept. The brand describes its new retail concept as intimate and service oriented. To that end, Tmall offers the capabilities to make online shopping more individualized through marketing tools. Tmall offers live streaming options and big data options designed to personalize and streamline the shopping experience.

"Alibaba Group places a strong emphasis on consumer engagement, which aligns with our focus on creating a unique online brand experience for our customers, as well as facilitating a seamless and frictionless shopping experience" said Fran Horowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Tmall has sold the Hollister brand since 2014. This month is the first time Abercrombie has put its namesake brands on the platform. Jessica Liu, President of Tmall Fashion, Alibaba Group said consumers both online and in China have "sought [the brand] out for some time."

Abercrombie will begin selling a full assortment of men's, women's and kid's product on Tmall starting July 26.