Tmall, the Alibaba-owned e-commerce marketplace, has a new destination where shoppers can discover the latest products released by major global brands.
The product discovery vehicle lives inside the mobile Taobao app, which close to 700 million people use every month and open on average 7.8 times each day.
“Our goal is for Tmall to become the top launchpad for global brands’ debuts,” Taobao and Tmall president Jiang Fan said in a statement. “We will provide the necessary support to brands to make their product launches more effective, on target and successful.”
Tmall plans to invest in areas this year that will help sellers on its platform attract shoppers and “infuse innovation into their supply chain management, product development and cross-disciplinary collaboration,” Jiang added.
For sellers already using product marketing services like Tmall Innovation Center or Hey Box, which helps premium beauty brands get their products in the hands of new customers, the new product gateway could be another way to extend their reach, the company said.
Though growth in China’s economy has slowed recently, many international brands still see access to, and success in China as key to bolstering their bottom lines. Financial earnings for the luxury sector in particular rely heavily on robust spending among wealthy Chinese.
Tmall’s new product discovery portal is just one way its enticing customers to return to its app and website. Last summer it debuted an 88 VIP membership program that rewards members with discounts, access to streaming services and special perks with Ele.me, its online food delivery business.
In March, Tmall announced new initiatives to further support brands looking to enter China and advance Alibaba’s goal of bringing $200 billion worth of imports into the country within the next five years. Tmall said that Centralized Import Procurement (CIP) and Tmall Overseas Fulfillment (TOF) help foreign companies get up and running in China quickly to take advantage of demand for hot new products.