Firstly, it announced last week that it has partnered with Kering to work together to stop rogue sellers profiting from illegally selling fakes on its numerous platforms (a major development, considering Kering and Alibaba have been locked in a legal tangle since 2015 when the French fashion conglomerate sued the latter twice for allegedly selling counterfeit versions of items from its stable of fashion houses that includes Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga). As per a report in the New York Times, the businesses released a joint statement in which they said "that they would establish a task force to share information and work with law enforcement to protect Kering’s brands", as well as "make use of Alibaba’s technology to seek out fakes".
Then, as a part of its "New Retail" plan, last week it created a special luxury pavilion on one of its most popular subsites, Tmall. Before now, luxury brands - while eager to target Chinese consumers who are increasingly investing in luxury at home and online - were hesitant to sell on the platform, which sells everything from food to fashion, as it could potentially be positioned alongside products that they felt were a bad match (like alcohol, pet food or medicine). By creating an environment that allows luxury houses to distance themselves from such brands and potential counterfeiters alike, as well as giving them access to the consumer market, Tmall boasted brands such as Burberry, La Mer, Hugo Boss, Maserati and Guerlain at launch, reports Digiday.com.
Now, it has partnered with the Marriot Hotel Group to offer members of its new luxury loyalty programme access to benefits offered by both businesses. “Consumers today, things have completely changed. More and more young consumers not only want to find goods and services, they are searching for a more spiritual side to stuff; they want to go everywhere in the world and have experiences,” Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said today, reports WWD. “There has been a lot of discussion about this ‘New Retail’ strategy but it all starts with the customers. Ultimately, it’s our job to bring new exposure to consumers, whether it’s a brand, experiences, services. It’s about giving consumers what they want.”
It's a far cry from last year when the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) suspended the membership of Alibaba, one week after brands including Kering-owned Gucci, Michael Kors and Tiffany & Co were said to have departed the coalition as a direct result of its being admitted, saying that they felt it was a part of the problem. At the time, Jennifer Kuperman, head of international corporate affairs at Alibaba Group, said that "the only way to solve the complex, industry-wide issue of counterfeiting is through strong industry collaboration and we believe that intermediaries, like Alibaba, must be an integral part of the solution."
The last week's worth of announcements show that working together to help achieve a common goal is a concept that's certainly catching on.
Then, as a part of its "New Retail" plan, last week it created a special luxury pavilion on one of its most popular subsites, Tmall. Before now, luxury brands - while eager to target Chinese consumers who are increasingly investing in luxury at home and online - were hesitant to sell on the platform, which sells everything from food to fashion, as it could potentially be positioned alongside products that they felt were a bad match (like alcohol, pet food or medicine). By creating an environment that allows luxury houses to distance themselves from such brands and potential counterfeiters alike, as well as giving them access to the consumer market, Tmall boasted brands such as Burberry, La Mer, Hugo Boss, Maserati and Guerlain at launch, reports Digiday.com.
Now, it has partnered with the Marriot Hotel Group to offer members of its new luxury loyalty programme access to benefits offered by both businesses. “Consumers today, things have completely changed. More and more young consumers not only want to find goods and services, they are searching for a more spiritual side to stuff; they want to go everywhere in the world and have experiences,” Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said today, reports WWD. “There has been a lot of discussion about this ‘New Retail’ strategy but it all starts with the customers. Ultimately, it’s our job to bring new exposure to consumers, whether it’s a brand, experiences, services. It’s about giving consumers what they want.”
It's a far cry from last year when the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) suspended the membership of Alibaba, one week after brands including Kering-owned Gucci, Michael Kors and Tiffany & Co were said to have departed the coalition as a direct result of its being admitted, saying that they felt it was a part of the problem. At the time, Jennifer Kuperman, head of international corporate affairs at Alibaba Group, said that "the only way to solve the complex, industry-wide issue of counterfeiting is through strong industry collaboration and we believe that intermediaries, like Alibaba, must be an integral part of the solution."
The last week's worth of announcements show that working together to help achieve a common goal is a concept that's certainly catching on.
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