What’s the Story?

In this report, we analyze key trends in new entrants in Singles’ Day 2021. The new entrants reflect Chinese e-commerce giants’ emphasis on apparel and footwear, clean beauty and jewelry categories, to capitalize on burgeoning demand in the country.

Why It Matters

For international brands looking to enter the Chinese market, Singles’ Day offers an attractive opportunity. This year, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba featured over 290,000 brands while on JD.com, close to 60,000 brands each saw sales surge by 100% year over year during the first presale period. The shopping festival saw the participation of numerous international brands, including many new entrants spanning across apparel and footwear, beauty and jewelry categories, among others.

Singles’ Day 2021 New Entrants: Coresight Research Analysis

Jewelry Brands

For Singles’ Day 2021, Chinese e-commerce giants formed new partnerships with jewelry brands, reflecting their desire to capitalize on the country’s growing luxury market by offering internationally renowned brands. International brands, meanwhile, sought partnerships to successfully grow in China’s market.

• In 2021, Van Cleef & Arpels joined Singles’ Day for the first time, partnering with Alibaba. The brand established a flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion, joining 10 other brands owned by its parent company Richemont. The brand took advantage of the Luxury Pavilion’s online luxury watch shows and try-on functions, which use augmented reality (AR) technologies. Van Cleef & Arpels also adopted a strategy of pre-sale of limited-edition items and interest-free installments.

[caption id="attachment_136364" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Source: Alibaba[/caption]  

• Hermès also partnered with Alibaba to join Singles’ Day for the first time, aiming to expand in China’s growing luxury market. The company’s first partnered with Alibaba in January 2021, leading to high growth during its first quarter of 2021—helping to offset pandemic-related declines in Europe.

Apparel and Footwear Brands

New entrants to Singles’ Day in apparel and footwear adapted Chinese e-commerce strategies to that focus on interactive features, aiming to better engage with local consumers and capitalize on the booming China market.

• Italian womenswear company Max Mara partnered with WeChat, aiming to improve its marketing strategy for Chinese consumers, using e-commerce initiatives popular among the country’s brands. The company celebrated its 70th anniversary, launching a WeChat Mini Program equipped with interactive features, allowing consumers to explore an online showroom populated by its Alpy, Cammy, Teddy and Woolly mascots. By leveraging local digital platforms and its use of its popular mascots, the company garnered strong organic website traffic—which led to high in-store conversion rates at its pop-up stores opened in mid-September, using the same branding.

[caption id="attachment_136365" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Source: Jing Daily/Max Mara[/caption]  

• Berluti launched a try-on feature using AR technologies on its flagship store on JD.com, marking the brand’s entry into AR. The feature allowed consumers to try on shoes using their phone camera. Berluti’s entry into Singles’ Day followed its launch on JD.com in July, alongside a number of other brands owned by its parent company LVMH.

Clean Beauty

China’s beauty market is predicted to reach $56.2 billion by 2021, according to Statista. Alibaba hopes to address the market’s growing demand for clean, eco-friendly and natural beauty products.

Alibaba’s second annual Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest—an event designed to help small and medium-sized businesses internationally by listing them on Tmall Global in time for Singles’ Day—gathered an assortment of clean and environmentally friendly brands to address the new demands of China’s beauty market. Six of the seven winners (Basq, Boscia, Honey Girl Organics, Vegamour, SBLA and Schmidt’s) were chosen for exemplary standards in ingredient quality and safety, according to Alibaba: Skincare brand Honey Girl Organics is USDA Organic Certified, and all-natural deodorant brand Schmidt’s is certified by Ecocert COSMOS Natural. All Pitch Fest winners were given the opportunity to receive marketing advice, tools and other resources to fast-track their entry into China’s e-commerce market through Singles’ Day.

Clean, cruelty-free and vegan beauty line Nuria Beauty also partnered with Alibaba for its first Singles’ Day, offering 11% off all its products. The US-based startup initially joined Alibaba shortly after launching in 2020, due to pandemic-induced business closures in the US. The company is also offering Singles’ Day discounts in the US as well as China.

[caption id="attachment_136366" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Source: Nuria[/caption]  

What We Think

Many international brands, spanning apparel and footwear, beauty and jewelry, took part in Singles’ Day 2021 for the first time, through partnerships with Chinese e-commerce companies. These three categories address distinct, rising demand in China, offering international brands a significant opportunity for expanding in the country. Additionally, as more international brands participate and offer deals globally as well as in China, the shopping festival’s impact will grow worldwide.