In the fashion industry, design can fly.
In today’s retail environment, e-commerce observers are now embracing the concept that Alibaba’s Tmall platform offers a flight opportunity, with a set of wings.
History teaches us many fashion classes and, of interest right now, is the rare joy of Douglas Corrigan. Eleven years after Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, Douglas Corrigan sought to be identified by his paintings as a flight engineer in Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis”. Douglas felt ignored by aviation historians and developed an artistic concept to build his own aircraft from abandoned parts. Eventually, he crossed the Atlantic alone on his homemade plane, but aviation experts were heavily involved in protecting the project and Douglas, in particular, was forbidden to cross the ocean.
Defeated, but still with a glimmer in his eye, on July 17, 1938 Douglas Corrigan boarded his airplane in New York and told everyone that he was headed back to California. Shortly after take-off, to the amazement of bystanders, he made an aerial U-turn and disappeared into the clouds.
The next day, Corrigan’s waste plane landed safely in Dublin, Ireland, where surprised airport workers reported his arrival: “I’m Douglas Corrigan. I got back from New York. Where am I? I’m making plans to fly to California.”
Mr Corrigan stated that his compass had malfunctioned and that he literally did not know where he was. But, clearly, he knew, and had risked everything, saving his dream. The media without delay called it “Wrong Way” and the nickname remained. The depression ended and “Wrong Way Corrigan” instantly became an aviation legend. Even today, when things don’t paint in one direction, someone will inevitably communicate on “Wrong Way Corrigan,” because going in the other direction is really better.
Enter the iconic E-commerce corporate Alibaba, which fully understands that U.S. stores and brands are involved in a similar struggle. Retailers are definitely looking for new ideas/new instructions and Alibaba’s Tmall online page opens an exclusive opportunistic window by allowing U.S. brands and directly promoting the Chinese consumer. Keep in mind that the United States has a population of 328 million and that China has a population of 1.4 billion, so promoting in China is a very smart idea, especially now.
Tmall can be obtained in 3 editions: Classic, Global or Pavilion: the edition you choose depends on your market and how you plan to succeed in the target customer. There are already more than 250,000 brands stationed in Tmall, which includes 80% of the brands of customers who have given the impression in the list of forbes 2019 of the highest value brands.
When Diane Von Furstenberg introduced her company’s flagship Tmall store in September 2019, Gabby Hirata, Asia Pacific’s director of development, said she had 10,000 fans. By March 2020, they had 300,000 fans.
Cartier, Prada, Valentino, Burberry, Balenciaga, Versace, Tory Burch and Michael Kors can be found in the luxurious Tmall Pavilion. Three months ago, Michael Kors opened a personalization service in which he called “MK My Way”. Michael said: “The Tmall app allows me to style a great diversity of other people instantly. It’s like a TV screen for fashion times.”
In the United States, it is transparent that the retail industry is going through a difficult period. Between store closures, limited reopenings, social distance, masking rules, small inventories, large inventories, and lack of cash, times are tough. Frankly, unless a bailout suddenly appears, retail is in a race for survival or bankruptcy. If a fashion logo were to create the fall line, its suppliers are still asking for cash in advance, and many stores have developed credit problems, making it incredibly difficult to finance new orders.
In Tmall’s world, Alibaba manages marketing, consumer goals, manages invoices and logistics, and makes appointments a perfect delight. Retailers and brands can now focus on grocery shopping and revel in customers. Alibaba is not intended to be the store and does not compete in any way. With a lot of millions of prospects, Alibaba can stream live fashionable virtual exhibits, organize virtual shopping days (such as Singles Day 11/11) and even create one-day promotions.
As the industry’s top players know painfully, it’s incredibly difficult to download credits from monetary points or banks. Many textile factories are looking for prepayment, sewing plants need ten days and stores are asking to increase their purchasing conditions because the coins are seriously depleted. In desperation mode, many stores have mortgaged their assets to stay afloat. The buildings have been sold and the shops are renting their own space. Stocks have been emptied and coins are collected to buy new stocks or, in some cases, only lit lamps remain.
While “Wrong Way Corrigan” alternately headed east to head west, his flight to Ireland brought the world closer together. Commercial opportunities like Tmall now allow for a little magic that many stores are looking for. Knowledge implies that U.S. exports and imports With China they have fallen at alarming rates, which is problematic in the world of fashion retailers. For years (and for many reasons), the fashion industry has been very supportive of China, while maintaining a 40% share of the U.S. market for all clothing and 65% of all shoes. Future expansion plans for many stores and brands now have the opening of new markets, especially the Chinese market, where U.S. brands remain very popular.
The challenge for fashion is that good fortune is seasonal and there is little time to get more from the existing clientele. Alternative thinking is paramount to retail, and that’s why it’s pushing to replace paradigms, and also why Tmall of Alibaba offers some hope for a struggling industry.
When the Tapestry’s Coach logo was introduced on the Tmall platform, former CEO Jide Zeitlin explained that “creating strategic partnerships with leaders like Tmall is helping us unite our unique lifestyle logos (with fashion) and Chinese consumers with digital knowledge.”
When Michael Kors introduced Tmall, the CEO of (Capri’s parent company), John Idol, he said, “Consumers are digitally engaged in buying luxury food (in China) and the Tmall Luxury Pavilion is the best position to communicate.”
Tmall is necessarily the operator of a virtual shopping mall with virtual stores. The logo (not Tmall) has the full look (and feel) of your own storefronts. Alibaba has created a new global order to buy food, and Tmall’s vast customer base in China has the target customer.
At the end of the day, “Wrong Way Corrigan” is probably right. When the global is going in one direction, perhaps a bigger strategy is to hedge your bets and spend in another. Corrigan’s flight trail and aircraft were in fact a daily adventure at the time, largely because it took off shortly after the disastrous crash and chimney of the Hindenburg aircraft in New Jersey.
However, American stores are very resilient and end up understanding what works for them and what doesn’t. If the shop knew you had the option to travel between Corrigan’s plane or a seat in the Hindenburg, this shop wise will know exactly what to do.
Right now, for brands and retailers suffering, Tmall is opening up a new and global opportunity …
I Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Apparel Footwear Association (AAFA) and also its President and CEO. The association represents more than 1,000
I was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Clothing Footwear Association (AAFA) and was also its President and CEO. The Association represents more than 1,000 known logo names, with the number one project interacting with the government in problems similar to our industry. I have also been president of several fashion companies of personalized and logo brands, which has allowed me to worry deeply about the maximum facets of the communities of apparel, footwear, accessories and retailers nationally and abroad. I participate annually in the Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retail at Wharton and Harvard and at a guest convention at Wharton, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, as well as in industry observation at CNBC, CNN, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, BBC and Fox.