Alibaba’s 11.11 Pitch Fest is an initiative giving US SMBs the opportunity to fast-track their entrance to the Chinese market through the company’s Tmall Global platform. We expect the brands to excel, given the growing demand in China for quality beauty and personal care products as well as luxury footwear from American brands.

Registration for this year’s Pitch Fest opened on June 8 and ended on August 6, after which Tmall Global selected the following seven winners: Basq NYC, Bella Belle, Boscia, Honey Girl Organics, Vegamour, SBLA Beauty and Schmidt’s. These winning brands were approved to launch their products on Tmall Global from the first official Singles’ Day sales window on November 1, 2021, after months of extensive market research and preparation.

Working with Tmall Global in the run-up to the launch, the brands received support in refining their marketing strategies to best tap into the 900-million-strong Chinese e-commerce market, and cater to a growing interest in natural, plant-based ingredients in China’s skincare market.

Facilitating and supporting China market entry for international SMBs is central to Alibaba’s goals and is a key focus of the Singles’ Day shopping festival. This year’s festival spans 23 days in October and November including pre-sale and official sales periods. Below, we profile each of the winners and their key differentiators.

Basq NYC

  Basq NYC is a New York-based maternity skincare brand that uses clean ingredients to address common skin concerns among pregnant mothers, such as aching or swollen limbs, dry, itchy or tight skin, and stretch marks. Products are made from plant extracts that boost collagen to improve skin elasticity as well as omega-rich oils to aid skin discomfort. The brand also leverages insights from “aromacology” in its product design to understand the science behind how scent can affect mood. The scent profiles of its products include lavender to support sleep, citrus to boost energy and eucalyptus to help with exhalation. Basq also sells fragrance-free products. Bella Belle   Bella Belle is a luxury evening and wedding shoemaker that produces handcrafted bridal shoes. The brand describes its shoes as durable and made with maximum comfort in mind. Its shoes contain generous padding of three to four times that of a typical dresswear shoe, and only use breathable and high-quality materials to enable all-day wear. Bella Belle’s marketing strategy is focused on building a global community of wedding players, such as planners, gown makers and jewelry designers, as well as direct customers, who provide product feedback via social media and share recommendations. The shoemaker is looking to tap further into the Chinese wedding market through its launch on Tmall Global—Alibaba estimates that 8 million weddings were held in the country in 2020. Boscia   Boscia produces all-natural cleansers, masks, moisturizers and serums, with ingredients that are cruelty-free and vegan. Based in California, the company claims to have been at the forefront of the nontoxic movement for nearly two decades and has a list of over 1,600 problematic ingredients that it eschews. The central pillars of the brand include the use of natural and safe ingredients, inclusion of products for sensitive skin types, transparency in ingredient labeling, and sourcing materials sustainably. Its hero product, Purifying Cleansing Gel, was a hit in China after a Chinese influencer shared the product with viewers during a series of summer promotions, and the company plans to bring the product to more Chinese consumers via Tmall Global. Honey Girl Organics   Honey Girl Organics was born out of a beekeeper’s discovery of the skincare benefits of honey and beeswax. Based in Hawaii, the brand has since launched a range of clean, all-natural skincare products based on the rejuvenating properties of bee byproducts. The Founders support the Green Beauty Movement, which is based on the belief that skincare products should be as healthy and safe as organic food, given the absorptive properties of the skin. Honey Girl Organics is USDA Organic Certified, does not use any artificial preservatives or unnatural fillers, and is cruelty-free. The brand’s clean skincare and cuticle cream products have trended among the Chinese American community in Honolulu, and recently saw a spike in popularity in China after being promoted by a well-known influencer. Honey Girl Organics’ Founders hope to share the benefits of their products with Chinese consumers and create a base of repeat customers through Tmall Global. SBLA Beauty   SpencerBarnesLA (SBLA) Beauty produces clean and natural anti-aging skincare products focused on tightening and smoothing aging skin. The brand’s first product, The Neck, Chin and Jawline Sculpting Wand, produced in 2018, was a huge hit with US celebrities. In 2020, SBLA introduced a new product, The Neck Sculpting Wand XL, marketed as the first clinically proven skincare product to melt fat, with a variety of other benefits such as boosting collagen production. All of the brand’s products use vegan formulas and are free of fragrances, parabens and gluten. Schmidt’s  

Schmidt’s is the first deodorant brand in the US to be certified under Ecocert’s COSMOS Natural standard, which guarantees that the brand uses natural-origin and cruelty-free ingredients, as well as sustainable production processes and recyclable packaging. The brand’s products are sold at an affordable price point and suit sensitive skin as they are free from toxic chemicals and artificial fragrances. All ingredients are listed on SmartLabel, an online service that provides detailed information on food and beverages, for transparency. Schmidt’s is working with Tmall Global to better understand the natural skincare market in China, and is trialing a new assortment of ingredients and scents to appeal to Chinese consumers, including charcoal, jasmine tea and tea tree oil.

Vegamour

 

Vegamour is a Los Angeles-based hair beauty brand that uses clean and organic formulas in its eyebrow, eyelash and haircare products. The brand’s products are 100% vegan, with ingredients that are paraben-free, sustainably harvested and cruelty-free. Vegamour takes a holistic approach to hair loss prevention that addresses the symptoms of poor hair health, as well as underlying causes such as hormone health, stress, lack of essential vitamins and minerals, and external exposure to harmful chemicals. The brand’s hero product Karmitin™, uses plant proteins to bind a plant-based keratin substitute directly to the hair to protect it. Compared to its hormone-based competitors, Vegamour increases hair density by up to 52%, and is up to 75% more effective in preventing hair shedding, according to the brand. It hopes to launch a flagship store on Tmall Global in early 2022 after generating momentum on the platform following on from Singles’ Day.

Wrap Up

All seven winning brands were fast-tracked to sell on Tmall from Singles’ Day—the first official sales period began on November 1 this year. The brands have worked closely with Tmall Global to adapt their products and optimize their marketing strategies in order to fast-track their entry into the Chinese market.