Valentino joins other luxury brands on Tmall to woo younger digital-savvy consumers

Valentino became the latest luxury brand to launch a pop-up shop on Tmall as luxury brands are embracing digital channels to woo a new generation of younger consumers born in the 1990s.  

These young consumers are increasingly turning into digital shoppers who are adopting new technologies and online channels to search and buy products catering to their tastes and interests. 

Sales of luxury goods in China hit 142 billion yuan (US$22.2 billion) last year, up 20 percent year on year — the biggest growth since 2011, according to a Bain & Co report earlier this year. 

Online giants are therefore eager to tap into this young market by integrating online and offline resources to offer individualized shopping to consumers. 

On Tmall, post-90s consumers make up 45 percent of the overall luxury market and the online shopping site aims to serve as many as 100 million luxury buyers over the next three years. 

Valentino joined Burberry, Givenchy, Hugo Boss, La Mer, Maserati, LVMH-owned Guerlain and Zenith among the brands that have joined the Tmall Luxury Pavillion.

JD's independent shopping app, TopLife, which it launched earlier this month hosts brands such as La Perla, Emporio Armani and Rimowa. 

JD said it hopes to leverage its retail capabilities through both online and offline channels to empower brands and help them stay closer to the digital generation.