On Aug 1st, Dior has become the first luxury brand to sell top-end bags on WeChat, the most popular messaging and social network in China. The French luxury brand released the limited edition of the “Lady Dior” bag at the price of 28,000 Yuan or $4,210, and it was already sold out on the next Day. Luxury to sell via WeChat eCommerce has become a reality.
How Everything Started
July 31st
One day before the actual sales day, Dior has started to warm up on its WeChat Public Account. As seen in the article below, Dior announced that tomorrow (8/1/2016), Dior would launch a special edition of the “Lady Dior Small” bag exclusively on WeChat.
The article showed not too much information other than the image of the bag. It stated that there would be more details to come tomorrow, only via Dior’s WeChat channel.
Aug.1st
Only 13 minutes after entering August 1st, Dior’s WeChat account sent out this article (shown image below): “Lady Dior Small Special Edition Officially Launched Online.” At the end of the article, Dior drove visitors to another HTML5 Page on its mobile site.
The HTML5 page starts with an animation video about “Qi Xi”, also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day. The entry button of purchasing “Lady Dior Small” comes afterward. Meanwhile, consumers can drag the online pictures of the decorations they want to the bag, tailor-making them to their needs.
Finally, the visitor reaches the purchase page, with RMB 28,000 and payment options available. According to the page, both WeChat Pay and Alipay and accepted. Choose your payment option, and type in your contact info; your “Lady Dior Small” bag will be on the way.
Why Is This a Big Deal?
Normally speaking, luxury brands are not very “pro eCommerce”. Because of that, here are a few breakthroughs of Dior’s WeChat eCommerce tryout:
1. This is not only the first time that Dior sells online through WeChat but also the first time of any luxury brands;
2. More exactly, this is the first time that top-end bags to be sold. Brands like Channel and Louis Vuitton have sold on WeChat eCommerce before, but products are strictly limited with accessories: Sunglasses, rings, cosmetics, etc. To make its top-end product available on WeChat and even earlier than an offline channel, Dior is the first one.
Chanel, on the other hand, uses WeChat to promote more on its jewelry and cosmetics.
3. Another thing different is: this time, Dior has offered a complete online shopping experience. A few luxury brands have done new product release campaigns before, but more a “reserve online and pay full amount in offline store” style. Quite the contrary, “Lady Dior Small” is supported by online payment options like WeChat Pay and Alipay and has nothing to do with offline.
Why Did Dior Choose WeChat?
Clearly, the top reason is: WeChat is the top social media platform in China now. With over 700 million monthly active users, this is a platform that any brand hopes to share a piece. Plus, the strong interaction and eCommerce function can help brands shoot for higher conversion rates.
The other important reason is that WeChat holds all kinds of data of its users, making brands like Dior easier to advertise and sell.
For example, WeChat launched “WeChat Moments advertising,” giving any brand access to targeted audiences according to location, interest, age, gender, device, and phone network in Beijing, Shanghai, and 35 first and second-tier Chinese cities. For luxury brands like Dior, this new ad format enables them to choose to target users by demographics in specific regions, making the advertising way more valuable.
MINI's WeChat targeting ad
More Luxury on WeChat eCommerce?
The wheels are in motion. Right now, the whole luxury industry is facing a sales slowdown. Yet as the high-end market struggles to eke out revenue growth, there's one area where sales are flourishing: eCommerce.
China has always been important for luxury brands for its strong purchasing power. More brands will give a shot to capture customers on China’s hottest social platform: WeChat.
Above all, Dior’s first WeChat eCommerce launch could be seen as a start of luxury brand presence on WeChat eCommerce. Beforehand, a luxury brand that is found everywhere is not considered ‘luxurious’; a luxury brand needs to remain limited to maintain its status quo. But now, looking at the great opportunities WeChat is offering, more luxury brands will act bolder on WeChat eCommerce.
Please read more about our WeChat store solution and WeChat Store Development,
And feel free to contact us with any questions regarding WeChat eCommerce solutions that you may have!
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