Italian jewellery brand Bulgari has opened the first luxury flagship store on the Tmall Luxury Pavilion. The move, it says, reflects the changing nature of luxury retail.
The new flagship store concept is designed to offer shoppers a more immersive experience of luxury brands on the Tmall platform. Bulgari will be able to use the digital capabilities of the wider Alibaba Group ecosystem in areas from product launches to brand marketing, interactive content and the customer service experience.
Visitors to the Bulgari flagship store, found by searching for Bulgari on the Taobao or Tmall apps, can explore the world of Bulgari and its history as well as the products that it sells.
Jean-Christophe Babin, chief executive of the Bulgari Group, says: “The world of luxury has accelerated and evolved significantly in the past five years with the client more than ever at the heart of the Bulgari business model.
“We have adapted to the new lifestyles of our clients at 360 degrees, evolving from hard to experiential luxury also through digital ecommerce platforms that become an increasingly important touchpoint both in terms of communication and sales. Bulgari is the first luxury brand to open a boutique that adopts the concept of innovative flagship store on Tmall Luxury Pavilion, proving even more its ability to satisfy clients’ diverse needs.”
He adds: “Bulgari will continue stepping up digital transformation, improve the coordination between online and offline services and lead the new trends for luxury goods business and keep pioneering digital with the Metaverse for instance accessible through the new Octo Finissimo Ultra.”
The Tmall Luxury Division, which leads the development of luxury ecommerce at Alibaba Group, launched the Tmall Luxury Pavilion in 2017. Since then more than 200 luxury and premium brands has joined the platform, including brands from key luxury houses LVMH, Kering, Chanel, Hermes and Richemont.
Now the launch of the flagship store concept aims to offer consumers a deeper brand experience, says Janet Wang, vice president of the B2C retail business group of Alibaba Group and general manager of Tmall Luxury Pavilion. Wang says: “Tmall Luxury Pavilion is once again breaking new ground in the industry by creating a new concept of flagship store. We are delighted to start this journey of discovery with Bulgari. The new concept is designed to meet consumer needs for a deeper, more immersive and pure experience of luxury brands.
“Meanwhile, Tmall Luxury Pavilion will help Bulgari to accelerate digital transformation by leveraging the digital capabilities of the Alibaba Ecosystem, working with the brand to develop sophisticated business solutions, from product launch, brand marketing, content interaction, service experience to consumer operation.”
Bulgari, part of the LVMH Group, was founded in Rome in 1884 and has since expanded into an international luxury jewellery brand.
