Inditex China digitizing its way forward
Inditex China said it sees increasing business opportunities in China with more investment in digitizing physical stores and integrating virtual and physical channels.
"We will continue to invest in the digitalization of our stores across the country as we have been doing since 2012, and will also reinforce the e-commerce capacities of all our brands," said Eva Serrano, president of Inditex China.
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Ti Gong
She said the company will focus on the three key pillars of its business model – flexibility, digital integration and sustainability – in order to offer shoppers attractive and ethical fashion with uninterrupted service on any devices and at any time of the day.
"At Inditex, we are passionate about offering customers high-quality fashion with the best possible service," Serrano said. "In this regard, we continue to see growth potential in the Chinese market. We will continue to invest in digital marketing across the country, always with a demand-driven approach articulated around the functionalities that our customers want, such as our livestreaming events and WeChat mini programs."
As part of its global transformation, Inditex brands will continue to open larger stores equipped with next-generation technology.ZARA opened its flagship store on Beijing's Wangfujing Street last October, the largest in Asia. The store covers 3,500 square meters and is equipped with digital devices such as self-service cashier facilities and LED screens, bringing apparel and "ZARA Home" decorative items into one physical store to offer more variety.
In the coming years, the company will expedite the full implementation of the integrated store concept. Inditex currently has stores in more than 50 Chinese cities.The company is advancing strategic partnerships to meet its "2025 sustainability commitments," as well as participating in several social initiatives with institutions such as Tsinghua University and the China Youth Development Foundation.
"Facing the uncertainties of COVID-19, we have re-confirmed how important it is to to be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances," Serrano said. "We'll do our best to accelerate and broaden the forward-looking digital transformation that we began in 2012 and have been developing since."
In the early stages of the pandemic, Inditex quickly resumed business operations thanks to government support and the company's commitment. Its aid agreement with the Tsinghua University Education Foundation led to donations of anti-virus materials worth more than 8-million yuan (US$1.25 million) across China, in addition to more than 160,000 protective masks and 1 million yuan through the Hubei Charity Federation.
"We are very proud of our contributions to the Chinese-Western anti-pandemic collaboration, as we were able to purchase 75 million units of medical supplies to send abroad," Serrano said. "We received remarkable support from the authorities as well as contributions from suppliers."
