Alibaba’s B2C online marketplace, Tmall have announced the launch of Tmall experience centre in the bid to showcase top brand’s experiential initiatives in Shanghai.
The launch marks Tmall’s first experiential retail efforts to embrace the convergence of online and offline ahead of the wider rollout.
The move will see this week on-demand brands such as Bobbi Brown, Make Up For Ever, Abercrombie & Fitch, Swisse, Oral-B and Scotch whisky brand Ballantine’s leveraging Shanghai’s trendy shopping mall, K11 to engage consumers.
The experiential tactic will see brands featuring pop-up activations exclusive to the venue, including everything from a street-culture exhibition from American skate-shoe brand Vans to live-band performances and ice-cream-themed immersive plays.
The experience starts online when Tmall sends invitations to the brand’s premium customers, although anyone can sign up using the website for Tmall Club, the platform’s experiential-marketing unit.
The strategy is aimed at understanding participating customers to personalise their experiences online.
Tmall put down the introduction of the centre to their ongoing effort to integrate the tangible experience into the customer journey.
“Brands might feel reluctant to expand traditional retail stores to smaller cities, but they are very open to adopting this pop-up approach. By providing consumers with the chance to engage with a brand offline, they can heighten their online engagement as well. These experiences ultimately lead to stronger brand loyalty and retention.”
-Liu Bo, general manager, Tmall and Taobao Marketing.
