CHINA LUXURY E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017 - Deloitte

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CHINA LUXURY E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017 - Deloitte
C H I NA L U XU R Y
E-CO MMERC E WHI T EP A P E R 2 0 1 7
CHINA LUXURY E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017 - Deloitte
CONTENTS                                                                            CHINA LUXURY
                                                                        E-commerce Whitepaper 2017

  01 CHAPTER 1            01-28
     Development Trends of the Luxury E-commerce Industry
     1.1 The Development of the Luxury Market
     1.2 Rapid Development of Luxury E-commerce
     1.3 Drivers for the development of luxury e-commerce

 02  CHAPTER 2            29-54
     Portrait and preferences of online luxury consumers

     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce
     2.2 Motivation for purchasing luxury goods online
     2.3 Consumer preferences for luxury goods

 03   CHAPTER 3           55-78
     Challenges to and reflections on luxury e-commerce

     3.1 Challenge 1: Selecting the right business model
     3.2 Challenge 2: creating a unique e-commerce experience
     3.3 Challenge 3: e-commerce is not simply “another new channel”:
          The necessary transformation to an omni-channel model

 04   CONCLUSION          79-80
CHINA LUXURY E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017 - Deloitte
01
                                                                CHINA LUXURY
                                                   E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017

     CHAPTER 1

                            Development Trends of the Luxury
                                       E-commerce Industry

                       As a result of economic growth and changes in policy, the global
                 luxury market has been subject to significant fluctuations. Now, with
                 the recovery of the global economy, the luxury market has also seen
                 its own overall recovery and has experienced moderate growth. The
                 Chinese market, after a three-year economic downturn and a series of
                 economic shocks, marked a turning point in 2016 to regain momen-
                 tum. Against the backdrop of the moderate-to-high economic growth,
                 China's luxury market is expected to maintain stable increase. In this
                 new period of growth, the influence of global digitalization on the luxury
                 market continues to expand. Although traditional sales channels
                 remained the main distribution channel for luxury goods, the year 2016
                 witnessed double-digit growth of luxury goods sales through online
                 channels, while the growth of traditional channels was only 2% in the
                 same period. In China, the growth of sales through online channels is
                 also increasing as these new channels play a more prominent role in the
                 sale of luxury goods. With the rise of new generation of consumers, the
                 expansion of retail business digitalization and the continuous increase of
                 luxury e-commerce users, this trend is expected to continue.

01                                                                                    02
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CHAPTER 1                                                                                                                                                CHINA LUXURY
                                                                                                                                                 E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017
     1.1 The Development of the Luxury Market

01         Analysis of the development trends
           of the global luxury market

                                                                                                                                  Figure 1. Global sales of luxury goods and growth (2011-2021)

                                                                                      500                                                                                               450     8.00%
                                                                                                                                                                      425      439
                                                                                      450          7.19%                                                    416                                 7.00%
                                                                                                                                          389      402
                                                                                      400             370      368      370      377
                                                                                            361                                                                                                 6.00%
      Consumption of luxury goods begins to pick up and is                            350
                                                                                                                                                                                                5.00%
      expected to maintain stable growth                                              300
                                                                                                                                                                                                4.00%
                                                                                      250                                                       3.32% 3.21%        3.56%             3.36%
                                                                                                                                                                                                 3.00%
                                                                                      200                   2.48%                                                                             2.44%
                                                                                                                                       1.93%                                2.15%                2.00%
      After significant fluctuations, the global luxury market has started to         150
                                                                                      100                                                                                                       1.00%
experience stable growth. In the overall context of sluggish recovery of the global                                           0.49%
                                                                                       50                                                                                                       0.00%
macro economy, the growth of the global luxury market began to slow down from                                        -0.48%
                                                                                       0                                                                                                        -1.00%
2011, with the year 2013 seeing negative growth. The luxury market began to                 2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017      2018     2019     2020     2021

show signs of recovery in 2014 and 2015, which continued through 2016.                                        Global sales of luxury goods (USD1 billion)                   Growth rate %

Throughout the year of 2016, the overall scale of the global luxury market
increased by 3.32% in real terms, with a total value exceeding USD389.2 billion.
Influenced by the continued recovery of the global economy, consumption of
                                                                                                                                                                   Source: Euromonitor International
luxury goods is expected to enter into a period of stable development over the
next five years with an actual growth rate of about 3%.

03                                                                                                                                                                                               04
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     1.1 The Development of the Luxury Market

                                                                                                                                        Figure 2. Percentage of global luxury consumption by region (2016)

                                                                                                                                                                              US                             美国
                                                                                                                                                                              China                          中国
      China and the US lead in luxury sales.                                                                                                                                  Japan                          日本
                                                                                            23%                   22%
                                                                                                                   23%                          22%                           France                         法国
     In terms of sales volume, China and the US are the top two largest luxury                                                                                                UK                             英国
markets in the world, with their sales combined accounting for over 40% of all                                                                                                Italy                          意大利
                                                                                 2%                       2%
global sales. In 2016, luxury sales in the US made up 22% of global sales,       2%                       2%                                                                  Germany                        德国
followed by China’s market share of 21%. Over the past five years of strong       3%                       3%                                                                 Korea                          韩国
economic recovery, the US has maintained a sustained high growth trend in                                           21%                             21%
                                                                                  4%                       4%                                                                 Hong Kong                      香港
luxury sales, and witnessed the highest incremental sales globally during the                                                                                                 Canada                         加拿大
                                                                                       5%                    5%
period from 2011 to 2016, with an increase of $12 billion in absolute terms;                       6%       9%                6%        9%                                    Other countries                其他国家
Japan ranked second with an increase of $7.2 billion in luxury sales. China,                5%                    5%
however, was one of the worst market performers in luxury sales growth due to
                                                                                                                                                                        Source: Euromonitor International
the economic slowdown, exchange rate fluctuations and policy changes. China
saw negative sales growth from 2011 to 2016, which meant that the US
regained the top position as the world's largest luxury market.
                                                                                                                       Figure 3. Growth of global luxury goods sales by region (2011-2016) (USD1 billion)

                                                                                                            0          2            4              6            8            10           12            14

                                                                                                  US                                                                                           12.00
                                                                                                  Japan                                                      7.20
                                                                                                  Korea                            3.34
                                                                                                  UK                       2.01
                                                                                                  Canada               1.80
                                                                                                  France            1.59
                                                                                                  India             1.59
                                                                                                  Germany          1.33
                                                                                                  UAE             1.24
                                                                                                  Taiwan          1.20

                                                                                                                                                                        Source: Euromonitor International

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                     E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017
        1.1 The Development of the Luxury Market

03              Luxury market in China

                                                                                                                                                                                            Figure 5. Percentage of sales of different luxury categories in China (2016)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     酒类
         Luxury consumption recovery expected to lead to stable                                                                                                                                                                                      服装鞋类(成衣)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     酒类
         future growth
                                                                                                                                                                                       0%
                                                                                                                                                                                   1%0%

                                                                                                                                                                             3%
                                                                                                                                                                                  2%                                 Wine                            皮革
     In 2016, China was the world's second largest luxury market with an overall                                                                                        4%                                           服装鞋类(成衣)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Apparels and footwear (ready-to-wear)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            钟表
                                                                                                                                                                     6%                                              皮革 products
                                                                                                                                                          0%
                                                                                                                                                      1%0%

sales volume of RMB498.3 billion, making up 21% of global sales and second only                                                                 3%
                                                                                                                                                     2%                                                              Leather                         珠宝
to that of the US. After a continuous slowdown from 2013 to 2015, China's luxury                                                           4%
                                                                                                                                                                 7%                                                  钟表 & watches
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Clock                           美妆/个人护理
market started to recover and its luxury goods sales increased by 8.4% compared                                                        6%                                                                            珠宝
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Jewellery                       眼镜
with that of the previous year. It is expected that China's luxury market will enter a
                                                                                                                                      7%                                                                             美妆 / 个人护理
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Cosmetics/personal care products
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           便携式设备(电子产品)
stage of moderate and stable growth as Chinese consumers' household income
increases, luxury brands continue to adjust price spreads between domestic and                                                                                                                                       眼镜
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Glasses                         文具
                                                                                                                                                                                              76%
overseas markets and the impact of policy changes starts to wane.                                                                                                                                                    便携式设备(电子产品)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Portable devices(electronic products)

                                                                                                                                                                   76%                                               文具
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Stationary

                                                   Figure 4. Luxury market sales and growth in China (2011-2021)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Source: Euromonitor International
  700                                                                                                                          10%
                                                                 8%                                                617
                                                                                                       596
                572                                                                        574
  600    552                                                                 7% 552
                            515                                       531                                                      5%
                                                           498                        4%          4%
                       4%             463      460                                                            4%          4%
  500

  400                                                -1%
                                                                                                                               0%                                     Large-scale wine consumption and rapid growth in
                                                                                                                                                                      cosmetics consumption
  300
                                                                                                                               -5%

  200
                                   -10%     -10%                                                                               -10%
                                                                                                                                                                    Analyzing the proportion of sales in terms of different luxury categories, luxury
  100
                                                                                                                                                               wine took the dominant position in China's luxury market, followed by apparel and
    0                                                                                                                          -15%                            footwear. In 2016, the sales of luxury wine soared to 76% of China's total luxury sales,
         2011   2012        2013     2014     2015     2016           2017     2018        2019        2020        2021
                                                                                                                                                               apparel and footwear followed by 7%, while leather products ranked in third place with
                            Luxury sales in China (RMB1 billion)                           Growth rate
                                                                                                                                                               a share of 6%.

                                                                                           Source: Euromonitor International

07                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  08
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        1.1 The Development of the Luxury Market

                                                                                                                                                     Figure 7. Percentage of China's luxury consumption: abroad vs. domestic
      In terms of sales growth during 2011 to 2016, the consumption of cosmet-
ics/personal care products experienced high growth, while that of stationary and                                                                            Consumption abroad    Domestic consumption
                                                                                                                                   100%
clocks & watches declined. Considering that the compound average growth rate                                                        90%                                  24%              22%             23%
                                                                                                                                            28%         28%
(CAGR) of luxury consumption in China was -2% during this period, the 9% annual                                                     80%

growth in luxury cosmetics/personal care products clearly stands out. Jewelry and                                                   70%

                                                                                                                                    60%
apparel & footwear followed closely with a growth of 6% and 5% respectively. In
                                                                                                                                    50%
addition, the consumption of leather products, glasses and portable devices all                                                     40%                                                   78%
                                                                                                                                                                         76%                              77%
                                                                                                                                            72%         72%
achieved an increase of 3%. Among the luxury categories that declined in sales,                                                     30%

stationary and clock & watches were the worst performers with an average annual                                                     20%

                                                                                                                                    10%
decline of 5%, while sales of luxury wine, with a CAGR of -3%, saw a remarkable
                                                                                                                                     0%
upturn in 2016.                                                                                                                             2012        2013             2014             2015            2016

                                                                                                                                                                                            Source: Fortune Character Institute

                                                           Figure 6. CAGR of different luxury categories (2011-2016)
                                                                                                                                   Consumption abroad takes up a large share while growth
                                                                                                                                   starts to slow down

 10%      9%
  8%                                                                                                                              In terms of where this consumption took place, China's luxury consumption in
                    6%            5%
  6%                                                                                                                        the past five years mainly took place outside of the country, with domestic consump-
                                               3%           3%
  4%                                                                     3%
                                                                                                                            tion only accounting for about 25% of the total. The growth rate of consumption
  2%
  0%
                                                                                                                            abroad had been higher than that of domestic consumption until 2015. In 2016, the
  -2%                                                                                                                       trend reversed and, as a result, there was an increase in the proportion of domestic
                                                                                  -2%
  -4%
                                                                                            -3%                             consumption. This shift was mainly driven by worldwide price adjustments of luxury
  -6%                                                                                                 -5%      -5%          goods, RMB devaluation and guidance by relevant taxation policies, all of which had
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                                                                                                                            led to recovery of domestic luxury consumption stimulated by substitution consump-
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                                                                                                                            China in 2017 declined considerably compared with those in 2011. At a policy level,
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                                                                                                                            government policies have stimulated growth in domestic luxury consumption. Taking
                                                                                                                            import duty as an example, in 2015 and 2016, the government issued several
                                                                                        Source: Euromonitor International
                                                                                                                            policies to reduce the import duty on apparels, cosmetics and daily necessities,
                                                                                                                            which played a role in contributing to the growth of luxury consumption.

 09                                                                                                                                                                                                                       10
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     1.1 The Development of the Luxury Market

                  Figure 8. Average price spread of luxury goods between China and the world (2011-2017)

                                   2011 average price spreads      2017 average price spreads

 180
                                                                                                      161
 160
 140
 120
 100                    84           84
     80
     60     46                                     45            48
                                                                              36            39
     40          27
                             21           19            16            15           15            10
     20                                                                                                     6
     0
           Perfumes    Make-ups     Skin-care     Apparels      Footwear     Luggage       Jewelry    Watches
                                    products

                                                                               Source: Fortune Character Institute

                                                        Table 1. Changes of policies on import and export duties

      Time                   Policies

                              Reduction in import duty rates for certain types of apparel, footwear,
           2015.06            skin-care products and other daily necessities, as well as import duties for
          June 2015           business suits, basic house decoration products, short boots, sneakers,
                              diapers, skin-care products, etc.

                              Extension of the scope of tax reduction for daily necessities, and
        2016.01               reduction of import duty by imposing provisional tax rates for
      January 2016            commodities with high tax rates and high-demand like luggage,
                              apparels, scarves, rugs, vacuum cups, sun glasses, etc.

                              The Ministry of Finance issued the Notice on Adjusting Consumption
        2016.09               Taxes for Import of Cosmetics, which stated that the commodity
     September 2016           subject to cosmetics consumption tax was adjusted to “top-grade
                              cosmetics”, and tax rate was reduced from 30% to 15%.

                                                                                         Source: Public information

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     1.2 Rapid Development of Luxury E-commerce

                                                                                                    Figure 9. Percentage of global luxury goods sales through online & offline channels

                                                                                                                      2016 sales share      Growth rate

                                                                                     100%               91%                                                                       14%
                                                                                      90%

01
                                                                                                                                                            12%                   12%
                                                                                      80%
           The global trend of luxury e-commerce                                      70%                                                                                         10%

           development                                                                60%
                                                                                      50%
                                                                                                                                                                                  8%

                                                                                                                                                                                  6%
                                                                                      40%
                                                                                      30%                                                                                         4%
                                                                                      20%
                                                                                                              2%                                      9%                          2%
      Weak growth in traditional channels with rapid growth                           10%
      in online sales                                                                  0%                                                                                         0%
                                                                                                       Offline                                         Online

      The luxury industry is faced with various challenges. In terms of sales                                                                        Source: Euromonitor International
channels, traditional luxury retail channels continue to dominate but shows a lack
of momentum for sustained growth. In 2016, effective sales of luxury goods
through offline channels accounted for 91% of global sales, a year-on-year
increase of only 2%. Even though luxury goods sales via online channels is                                            Figure 10. Luxury goods sales via online channels (USD1 billion)
relatively low, the growth in online channels is more prominent. In 2016, online
sales in the global luxury market represented 9% of the total, an increase by 12%.            US           China          UK             Japan            Germany        Korea

In terms of market segment, during the period from 2011 to 2016, luxury goods        12.00

sales through online channels in the US reached the peak amount of USD10.5
                                                                                     10.00
billion. At the same time, benefiting from a booming e-commerce industry in the
Chinese market, online sales in China's luxury goods sector have also rapidly         8.00

increased, ranking second in global sales volume after the US market. Following       6.00
the acceleration of omni-channel development in luxury brands and the shift in the
                                                                                      4.00
trend of luxury goods consumption, the penetration of online channels in the
luxury market will gradually grow.                                                    2.00

                                                                                      0.00
                                                                                             2011         2012            2013            2014              2015           2016

                                                                                                                                                     Source: Euromonitor International

13                                                                                                                                                                                14
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     1.2 Rapid Development of Luxury E-commerce

02               Trends in the development of luxury
                 e-commerce in China
                                                                                                                      Figure 12. Percentage of luxury goods sales through online/offline channels by category (2016)

                                                                                                                                                         Offline purchase   Online purchase

                                                                                                            100%                                                                                  2%         0%
                                                                                                                                                                           5%        3%
                                                                                                             95%       10%          9%        9%         8%       8%

                                                                                                             90%

       Traditional channels dominate while online sales grows                                                85%

       rapidly                                                                                               80%
                                                                                                             75%                                                                                 98%        100%
                                                                                                                                                                          95%        97%
                                                                                                             70%       91%          91%       91%      93%       93%
     While traditional sales channels continues to be the mainstream, the market
                                                                                                             65%
share has seen a decline. In 2016, luxury goods sales through offline channels
                                                                                                             60%
accounted for 91.1% of the total, a year-on-year decrease of 1%. During                                      55%
2012-2016, the share of luxury goods sales through offline channels went down                                50%
while penetration of online channels gradually increased. Although the share of

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ment in luxury brands, the share of luxury goods sales through online channels

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is predicted to grow, expected to reach 13% by 2021.                                                                                                                               Source: Euromonitor International

          Figure 11. Percentage (Forecast) of luxury goods sales in China based on channel (2011-2021)

                                               Offline       Online                                               In terms of the luxury categories, consumer preferences for purchasing
   100%     1%      3%      5%      7%
                                                                                                          luxury goods vary by the different categories of goods. For example, in 2016,
    95%                                     8%       9%       8%     9%      10%     11%      13%
    90%
                                                                                                          online wine purchases took up 10% of total wine purchases – the highest of all,
    85%                                                                                                   followed by apparels and glasses at 9%, and leather products, cosmetics and
    80%                                                                                                   personal care products ranked in third place with a share of 8%. Online purchase
    75%    99%     97%     95%      93%     92%              92%
                                                                                                          ratios of other categories were significantly lower than the above categories.
    70%                                             91%             91%      90%     89%      87%
    65%
                                                                                                          Statistics showed that online purchase ratio of luxury portable devices (electron-
    60%                                                                                                   ics) was nearly zero, and those of luxury stationary, jewelry, and clock & watches
    55%                                                                                                   were also very low, all lower than 5%.
    50%
           2011    2012    2013    2014     2015    2016     2017   2018     2019    2020     2021

                                                                      Source: Euromonitor International

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CHAPTER 1                                                                                                                                   CHINA LUXURY
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     1.2 Rapid Development of Luxury E-commerce

                                                                                              Omni-channel strategy continues to develop

                                                                                               Secoo provides consumers with integrated omni-channel platforms for the
                                                                                         offline and online purchase of luxury goods, including the Secoo website,
                                                                                         mobile app and offline experience center. The online platform has been
                                                                                         designed to provide convenient services for consumers to choose products,
       Analysis of Secoo Business Data                                                   place orders and finish payments. The offline experience center serves as a
                                                                                         complimentary channel that provides high-quality consumer and membership
    Using Secoo Group, the leading vertical luxury e-commerce company, as a              services and experience. Online channels remain the major sales channel for
case study: (NB. Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) is used instead of business              Secoo platform. From 2015 to the first half of 2017, GMV generated from online
revenue)                                                                                 channels accounted for over 70% of the business revenue of all platforms.
    Business scale grows rapidly with increased profitability

                                                                                                                                Figure 15. Secoo business revenue: online vs. offline
                                Figure 13. Secoo GMV scale and growth rate (2012-2016)
                                                                                                                            Offline   Online

                                                                                           100%                                                                  7%
                                                                                                                                12%
                                                                                                         27%
RMB1 million                                                           Source: Secoo       80%

                                                                                           60%
                                                                                                                                                                93%
      As reported by Frost & Sullivan, Secoo grew into Asia’s largest online               40%           73%
                                                                                                                                88%

platform for luxury goods in 2016 in terms of GMV. During the period from 2012             20%
to 2016, Secoo's GMV saw exponential growth from RMB488 million in 2012 to
                                                                                            0%
RMB3,470 million in 2016. Over the past five years, Secoo's GMV has                                      2015                   2016                      First half of 2017

maintained a relatively high growth rate, which also reflects the overall growth
trend of the luxury e-commerce industry.                                                                                                                              Source: Secoo

17                                                                                                                                                                              18
CHAPTER 1                                                                                                                                                               CHINA LUXURY
                                                                                                                                                                E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017
     1.3 Drivers for the development of luxury e-commerce

                                                                                                                                              Figure 17. Percentage of channels for the purchase of luxury goods

                                                                                                                                                   Online purchase    Offline purchase

01              The rise of new-generation consumers
                boosts growth of online consumption                                                           婴儿潮一代
                                                                                                            Baby boomers
                                                                                                                                 28%                                      72%

                                                                                                                   X 一代             34%                                      66%
                                                                                                                   Gen X

      China’s luxury goods consumers are getting younger. According to the
                                                                                                                千禧一代                   42%                                       58%
statistics of the World Luxury Association, the average age of China’s luxury                                  Millennials
buyers has dropped from 35 to 25, which will inevitably affect the strategies of
                                                                                                                         0%   10%      20%   30%      40%     50%      60%      70%      80%      90%     100%
luxury market players. It is predicted that this trend will further progress in the
future. Data from Euromonitor shows that, in 2015, millennial and Gen Z                                                                                                         Source: Euromonitor International
consumers made 34% of total social income, and the ratio is expected to
                                                                                                            Notes: Gen Z (born after 1995), millennials (born between 1985 and 1995), Gen X (born between
increase to 50% in 2025. This means that half of all social wealth will be owned
                                                                                                            mid-1960s and late 1970s) (35-54 years old), baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964).
by millennials and Gen Z, the new generation consumers that will become a
major consumer group in China's luxury market within the next decade.

                                                        Figure 16. Percentage of social wealth ownership          For this new generation consumers whose lives increasingly revolve
                                Gen Z   Millennials    Gen X   Baby boomers                                 around the internet, online shopping remains their preferred choice for purchas-
                                                                                                            ing products. According to Deloitte Luxury Multi-country Survey for 2017 Global
                                                                                                            Powers of Luxury Goods, 42% of luxury goods purchases through online
       2025      17%              33%                            29%                   22%
                                                                                                            channels were made by millennials, higher than that of Gen X (34%) and the
                                                                                                            baby boomers (28%), reflecting the higher degree of acceptability and usage of
                                                                                                            online channels for the purchase of luxury goods among this new generation
                                                                                                            consumers. The trend also shows that online channels are playing an increas-
       2015 4%          30%                           34%                        33%
                                                                                                            ingly important role in luxury consumption. Therefore, luxury brands will face the
                                                                                                            major challenge of having to address the needs and consumer behavior of the
           0%     10%    20%    30%     40%           50%      60%     70%    80%      90%    100%
                                                                                                            millennials in the future. The results is that it has become more important for
                                                                        Source: Euromonitor International
                                                                                                            businesses to establish omni-channel strategies.

Notes: Gen Z (born after 1995), millennials (born between 1985 and 1995), Gen X (born between
mid-1960s and late 1970s) (35-54 years old), baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964).

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                     1.3 Drivers for the development of luxury e-commerce

                   Meanwhile, digital media has emerged to become an important channel for
              the new generation of Chinese consumers in receiving information on luxury
              goods. Statistics show that the new generation of Chinese consumers get as
              much as 75.6% of their fashion information from digital media and only 24.4%
              from traditional media. Specifically, of all the digital media, brand websites make
              up the highest share at 18.3%, vertical fashion websites follow by 16.4%,
              followed by social media at 15%. For traditional media, fashion magazines serve
              as the major channel to get fashion information with a share of 17.6%, while
              6.8% of information is communicated by friends and families. This reliance of
              new generation consumers on digital media will influence their choice of

                                                                                                                            02
              consumption channels.                                                                                                       Increased digitalization in retail provides
                                                                                                                                          support for luxury e-commerce
              Figure 18. Percentage of fashion information received by new generation of Chinese consumers by channel
                                                                                                                                          development
                    其他, 0.0%    其他, 0.0%                                                                                          China has a unique digital environment. There have been far-reaching
                               走秀视频, 8.5%走秀视频, 8.5%
              朋友/家人, 6.8% 朋友/家人, 6.8%                                                                                       effects on many aspects of the retail industry as digitalization continues to take
                                                                                      走秀视频 Fashion
                                                                                           走秀视频 show videos                 root. Statistics show a significant and rapid increase in mobile data usage,
                    时尚杂志, 17.6%                       品牌网站, 18.3%
                                                                                      品牌网站 Brand
                                                                                           品牌网站  websites                   third-party mobile payment and logistics over the past several years. China now
    时尚杂志, 17.6%
                                                                                      时尚网站 Fashion websites
                                            品牌网站, 18.3%                                    时尚网站
                                                                                                                            has the highest online sales ratio in overall retail sales of anywhere in the global
                                                                                      社交媒体 Social media
                                                                                                  社交媒体

                                                                                      名人          Celebrities
                                                                                                  名人                        market. On the whole, 57% of China’s retail sales are now influenced by the
                                                                                      微博/博客 Weibo/blog
               微博/博客, 6.6%                                                                        微博/博客
微博/博客, 6.6%                                                                                 时尚杂志
                                                                                                                            growth of digitalization. In light of this trend, digital capability will be a key factor
                                                          时尚网站, 16.4%
                                                                                      时尚杂志 Fashion
                                                                                            朋友/家人magazines,                 determining the future success of enterprises.
                                                                                      朋友/家人 Friends/families,
                                 名人, 10.8%
                                          时尚网站, 16.4%                                       其他
                                                                                                                                  Although offline channels remain the major channel for luxury goods sales
                                                                                      其他          Others
              名人, 10.8%
                                           社交媒体, 15.0%
                                                                                                                            in China, luxury e-commerce is gaining momentum with a steady growth in
                         社交媒体, 15.0%
                                                                                                                            recent years driven by the continuous enhancement of digitalization within the
                                                                               Source: Deloitte luxury report Bling it on   retail industry. In context of China’s unique digital environment, an increasing
                                                                                                                            number of luxury brand players have realized the importance of developing
                                                                                                                            digital sales channels for the China market.

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     1.3 Drivers for the development of luxury e-commerce

                                                                                                                                                            Figure 20. Interactions with digital carriers in each phase of consumption

                                                                             Figure 19 China’s unique digital dynamics   Purchase stage

                                  Mobile internet
                                  market size                                        RMB   27 trillion
                                  Unit: RMB100 million
                                                                                                                                     Generating              Browsing             Selecting             Purchasing          Returns/service
                                                        38.2%                                                                         demand                /searching            /verifying
     online sales in overall
          retail sales                                  14124.1 14823.3 14989.3

                                                                                                                                 53% of consumers     55% of consumers       50% of consumers      41% of consumers       48% of consumers
                                              12977.6
                                    10844.7
                                                                                      Year-on-year
                                                                                      growth                                     use search engines   conduct search and     are recommended       make purchases         expect to make
       Highest worldwide                                                                                                                              study through          products by friends   online and choose      requests to return or
                                                                                                                                 38% of consumers     third-party product    and families via      home delivery or       get a refund through
     (global average ratio is                                                                                                    get product          comparison websites    social media          picking up in stores   smart phones or by
              8.6%)                                                                             Third-party mobile               information via                                                                          computer
                                                                                                                                 social media         54% of consumers       49% of consumers
                                    2016      2016      2016     2016    2017
                                                                                                          payment
                                                                                                                                                      would browse the       would read product
                                     Q1        Q2        Q3       Q4      Q1
                                                                                               Transaction volume
                                                                                                                                                      official website         comments online in
                     Source: UN

                                                                                                                                                      before going to        this phase
                                                                                                                                                      offline stores
   Consumers spend half of         57% of retail sales is                                                                                             36% of consumers
   their time on major             under digital influence                                          Logistics demand                                   obtain feedback via
   internet company                                                                                driven by                                          social network sites
   products                                                                                        e-commerce

      48%                                                                            The number of         2016                                                                                       Source: Deloitte Cross Digital Divide
               42%                Offline Only                   Online retail
      12%       8%    Alibaba                              13                        packages
      17%                                      30          %                         delivered
               18%    Baidu                    %
      19%      16%    Tencent                                  57
                                                                                        2006
                                                                                                                               In this new digital environment, luxury brands have made numerous
      PC       Mobile
                                                               %                                                          attempts to enter the world of online sales. According to the L2 report, as of
                                                          Digital Influence             1 Billion         30 Billion
                                                                                                                          May 2017, only 9% of fashion brands did not have online sales channels, 57%
                                                                                                                          lower compared with the figure last year. The number of luxury brands running
                                                               Source: Deloitte China Digital, Enfodesk, iResearch        direct e-commerce platforms and WeChat e-commerce has grown significantly
                                                                                                                          from 2014 to 2017. As of May 2017, 40% of fashion brands and 38% of luxury
                                                                                                                          watch & jewelry brands have developed direct e-commerce business, an
     Based on a survey by Deloitte on consumer behavior, 85% of consumers
                                                                                                                          increase of 20% and 24% respectively compared with that of 2014. At the
state that they are influenced by digital carriers to varying degrees. Before
                                                                                                                          same time, luxury brands are also beginning to make inroads into WeChat's
making the decision to purchase, consumers may be influenced by a number of
                                                                                                                          one-to-one ecological system to sell small-lot products. This has resulted in 6%
key factors including website information, social media and user comments;
                                                                                                                          of fashion brands and 14% of watch & jewelry brands now operating WeChat
nearly half of consumers expect to have continual after-sale service through
                                                                                                                          shops.
online channels after purchase. Digitalization has penetrated every aspect of
consumer needs, and omni-channel strategy has become one of the important
paths for enterprise development.

23                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            24
CHAPTER 1                                                                                                                                                         CHINA LUXURY
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      1.3 Drivers for the development of luxury e-commerce

                                           Figure 21. Usage of online channels by luxury fashion brands

                                           2014    2016   2017
     50%
     45%                    43%

     40%
     35%             33%                                                                                                                                          Figure 23. Social media usage
     30%
     25%                                            23%
             20%                                          20%
     20%
     15%
     10%
                                             5%                                        5%
      5%
                                                                          0%     0%
      0%
             Direct brand websites          E-commerce platform             WeChat Shops

                                                                                             Source: L2

                                     Figure 22 Usage of online channel by luxury watch & jewelry brands
                                                                                                                          Youku                   Weibo                   WeChat
                                           2014    2016   2017
      35%                    33%                                                                                                                                                    Source: L2

      30%

      25%             22%                                  22%

      20%                                           17%
              14%                            14%                                       14%
      15%
                                                                                                               Based on this current trend, despite multiple online sales attempts, luxury
      10%
                                                                                                          brands are yet to transform their network influence into actual increase in sales.
                                                                                 3%
      5%                                                                                                  Luxury brands need to utilize more diverse and innovative methods to build
                                                                           0%
      0%                                                                                                  connections with consumers. By doing this, luxury e-commerce would be able
             Direct brand websites           E-commerce platform                WeChat Shops
                                                                                                          to enter a new round of opportunities for growth.
                                                                                             Source: L2

     Luxury brands are also operating more digital channels and using them as
a means of marketing. WeChat and Weibo are the social media most used by
luxury brands for digital marketing. The L2's survey results show that almost all
the brands surveyed conducted marketing promotions through WeChat and
Weibo in 2017. At the same time, luxury brands are shifting their focus to the
most popular short video and stream media platforms.

 25                                                                                                                                                                                               26
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     1.3 Drivers for the development of luxury e-commerce

                                                                                           Against the backdrop of geographical limitations and store adjustments,
                                                                                     certain luxury brands are beginning to embrace e-commerce channels, which
                                                                                     have helped them reach out to more consumers. According to Secoo’s
                                                                                     business data, in the fiscal year of 2016, Secoo provided products and
                                                                                     services to a total of 300,000 consumers covering 379 cities and, to a certain
                                                                                     extent, helped luxury brands connect with more consumers in more regions.
                                                                                     Although in terms of total number of consumers in different cities the top 30
                                                                                     cities were still first-tier and major second-tier cities covered by traditional
                                                                                     luxury sales channels, those from the other 349 cities accounted for nearly
                                                                                     38% of the total. In this sense, the purchase power in places beyond first and

03
                                                                                     second-tier cities is also of great importance if luxury brands want to realize
            E-commerce is helping luxury brands                                      higher sales growth.
            reach out to more consumers
                                                                                                                                      Figure 24 Percentage of total consumers

     Although traditional sales channels remain the primary method for luxury
goods sales, the development of luxury e-commerce has also enabled many
luxury brands (especially some niche brands) to connect and interact with more             37.91%                                              Top 30 cities by the number of consumers

consumers. Luxury brands have always been relatively cautious in terms of store
                                                                                                                                               Other 349 cities
development, as they tend to open and run their stores mainly in first-tier and
                                                                                                                 62.09%
some key second-tier cities, which results in a lack of effective methods to build
connections with consumers in areas without stores. Meanwhile, luxury brands
are also making adjustments to their existing stores to better improve their value
and reduce costs. Results of a survey conducted by Bernstein, an investment
research firm, show that from July 2016 to July 2017 a total of 62 offline stores
were closed by the 36 luxury brands surveyed.
                                                                                                                                                                  Source:Secoo

27                                                                                                                                                                         28
02
                                                             CHINA LUXURY
                                                E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017

     CHAPTER 2

                              Portrait and preferences of online
                                               luxury consumers

                     An increasing number of luxury brands are considering or have
                 moved into the booming e-commerce sector. However, who are the
                 core luxury consumers online who have stimulated this growth? Why
                 do they choose to purchase online? What are their preferences?
                 Answers to these questions are what these brands aim to address
                 when developing their e-commerce strategies.

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CHINA LUXURY
     CHAPTER 2                                                                                                 E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017
     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

       Age Factor: Post-90s main force are already aged 27

      Millennials have become the main force of consumption in China’s luxury
market with even younger consumers joining them. Although they have a
much smaller income and/or a lower amount of assets than their parents,
they do have more disposable income and are more willing to spend. No
longer concentrated in core cities, these millennials are now spread over
various key cities and surrounding areas in China. Their expenditure mainly
revolves around cars, education, sports and finance in daily life, with a
particular fondness for sports and foreign travel as well as migrating/studying
overseas and education.
      The TGI index: Unless otherwise stated, the TGI index herein refers to
the ratio of target groups’ corresponding behaviors and Tencent users’,
                                                                                   In Depth Docking of Secoo and Tencent
reflecting the difference between target groups’ performance regarding a
                                                                                         In order to gain an accurate understanding of Secoo’s 15 million
certain behavioral characteristic and the overall level. Generally, when TGI
exceeds 100, target groups are considered to have significant characteris-          users’ Internet behavior except from Secoo app, Secoo collaborates
tics. The higher the value, the stronger the target groups’ characteristics are.    with Tencent, which has the most users on the Internet in China, by
                                                                                    docking Secoo users’ IDFA to Tencent database. Thus It makes
                                                                                    consumer path be clear at a glance.

                                                                                   Abundant Cross-platform Data
                                                                                        Tencent provides media, social network, entertainment, Internet
                                                                                   and mobile phone value-added services and operate online advertising
                                                                                   services. This whitebook is benefited from the Secoo’s user behavior
                                                                                   data of Tencent’s multiple platforms at different devices and time frames.

                                                                                   Scientific 6 Key Labeling Systems
                                                                                        Tencent’s DMP profiling technology categorizes users on 6 labeling
                                                                                   systems, namely essential characteristics, social network behavior,
                                                                                   media interest, app using behavior, business interest and entertainment
                                                                                   preference, to present crowd characteristics of Secoo’s 15 million users
                                                                                   in depth.

31                                                                                                                                              32
illennials have b

                                                                                             CHINA LUXURY
     CHAPTER 2                                                                  E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017
     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

       Research Methodology

          The whitebook makes an all-dimension analysis of the real time full
     data of Secoo’s users from 2014-2016 to achieve theaccurate profiles of
     them.

          The docking to Tencent’s big data makes it possible to analyze
     Secoo’s user behavior chain,including 4 brand exposur eelements,
     platform redirect element and 5 e-commerce conversions elements.

          Note:This white book is made inOctober,2017.A year in thiswhitebook
     in dicates the period from the previous October to September of the
     year.For example,the year 2016 means October 2015 to September 2016.In
     addition,all the Secoo’s data is from online data of Secoo Mall.

33                                                                                                           34
CHINA LUXURY
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     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

                                                                                          Age Factor: Post-90s main force are already aged 27

                                                                                             50% of online luxury consumers are aged between 25 and 35,
                                                                                        with nearly 30% of them aged between 25 and 30. Another 15% are
                                                                                        even younger, between 18 and 24. The percentage of the 18-30 age
                                                                                        group is increasing, which means that the post-90s generation has
                                                                                        gradually become a new force of consumption in the market.

                                                                                                                               Figure 1. Online luxury consumers by age

                                                                                    Luxury consumers by age

                                                                                           100%               100%             100%
                                                                                            4%                 5%               4%         1    17      Aged 1-17
                                                                                           13%                                 15%         18 24        Aged 18-24
       Millennials have become the main force of consumption in China’s luxury                                15%

 market with even younger consumers joining them. Although they have a
 much smaller income and/or a lower amount of assets than their parents, they              28%
                                                                                                              28%              29%         25 30        Aged 25-30
 do have more disposable income and are more willing to spend. No longer
 concentrated in core cities, these millennials are now spread over various key
 cities and surrounding areas in China. Their expenditure mainly revolves                  22%
                                                                                                              21%              21%         31 35       Aged 31-35
 around cars, education, sports and finance in daily life, with a particular
 fondness for sports and foreign travel as well as migrating/studying overseas
                                                                                           16%                15%              15%         36   40     Aged 36-40
 and education.
       The TGI index: Unless otherwise stated, the TGI index herein refers to the          15%                                             41 50       Aged 41-50 and
                                                                                                              14%              14%
                                                                                                                                                       above 51
 ratio of target groups’ corresponding behaviors and Tencent users’, reflecting             2%                2%                2%
                                                                                                                                           51

 the difference between target groups’ performance regarding a certain behav-          201510-201609     201610-201709     201510-201709
 ioral characteristic and the overall level. Generally, when TGI exceeds 100,
 target groups are considered to have significant characteristics. The higher the                                                          Source: secoo.com, Tencent

 value, the stronger the target groups’ characteristics are.

35                                                                                                                                                                  36
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     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

                                                                                                                                                  Figure 2. Online luxury consumers at city level

                                                                                 Luxury consumers at city level

                                                                                                                                                 Beijing

                                                                                                                             Core
                                                                                                                             cities         Guangdong
                                                                                                                                              Province

                                                                                                                                               Sichuan
                                                                                                                                               Province
                                                                                         Other
                                                                                         cities
                                                                                                                                              Shanghai
                                                                                                                               Key
                                                                                                                               cities           Jiangsu
                                                                                                                                               Province

                                                                                                                                               Zhejiang
                                                                                                                                               Province
                                                                                   Core cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou
                                                                                   Key cities: Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Dalian, Shenyang, Tianjin,
                                                                                   Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Chongqing, Changsha, Wuxi, Qingdao, Suzhou

                                                                                                                                                                   Source: secoo.com, Tencent

                                                                                                                                        Figure 3. Comparison of purchase behaviors at city level

      Regional factor: Frequent and increased number of
                                                                                Comparison of purchase behaviors at city level
      purchases in non-core regions
                                                                                                                                                                       Percentage of
                                                                                                               Annual consumption        Percentage of                 purchasers
                                                                                                               frequency                 re-purchasers                 consumed at least
                                                                                                                                                                       three times
                                                                                                                     22%
      Calculating by number of consumers, core cities and key cities still
account for nearly 50%. In particular, the number of luxury buyers in core          Top 20 (other cities)
                                                                                              52%
cities is well above the average among the total urban population. By
province, Sichuan has outstanding performance. In terms of purchasing                                                  26%

power, purchases in core cities tend to be stable and rational, while                         Core cities

medium and small-sized cities in non-core regions are showing strong
momentum. Looking at purchase frequency and repeat purchases, all the
                                                                                                  Key cities
top 20 cities are non-core/key cities, where the average annual consump-
tion frequency is 40% higher than that in the core cities, and the percentage
                                                                                   Core cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou
of consumers making repeat purchases and for three times and above                 Key cities: Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Dalian, Shenyang, Tianjin,
                                                                                   Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Chongqing, Changsha, Wuxi, Qingdao, Suzhou
among the total purchasers outperforms core and key cities.
                                                                                                                                                                   Source: secoo.com, Tencent

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     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

                                                                                                                                    Figure 5. Online luxury consumers by educational background

                                                                                          Luxury consumers by education background
                                                                                                                                        Doctor,
                                                                                                                          Postgraduate, 1%
                                                                                                                          6%                                Junior high
                                                                                                                                                            school and
                                                                                                                                                            below, 22%
      Identity Factor: highly educated, male and married

                                                                                                                                                                 Senior   high   school,
      Most luxury consumers are highly educated with 67% having a bache-                                                TGI=130                                  10%

lor’s degree, a slight increase over the previous years. According to gender,
                                                                                                                 Undergraduate,
men make up 51%, slightly higher than women. This is partly due to the                                           60%

business needs of highly educated men. Luxury consumers mainly comprise
of married couples as well as mothers & infants.                                                                 Junior high         Senior high      Undergra     Postgra
                                                                                                                                                                                 Doctor
                                                                                                                 school and below    school           duate        duate

                       Luxury consumers by gender                                                                                                                     Source: secoo.com, Tencent

                                                                                                                                                   Figure 6. Online luxury consumers by family status

                                                                                          Luxury users by family status
                                                                                                                        奢侈品用户婚恋状态

                                                                                                    Single

                                                                                                  Married

                                                                                               Infants and
                                                                                               mothers

                                                                                                             0                 50                  100               150                   200
                                            Figure 4. Online luxury consumers by gender
                                                          Source: secoo.com, Tencent                                                                                  Source: secoo.com, Tencent

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CHINA LUXURY
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     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

          Interests: extreme sports, tourism and immigration,
          overseas education

      Luxury consumers are interested in studying abroad and education as
 well as healthy sports, finance and cars. Compared with previous years, they
 continue to enjoy travel and education, while the data of this year indicate a
 growing enthusiasm for extreme sports, immigration and studying abroad.                                                                                                                      Figure 8. Device brands used by online
 Over 60% of luxury consumers purchase high-end mobile phone brands, with                                                          Over 50% of luxury consum-                                 luxury consumers

 half of them being Apple fans. Luxury consumers have downloaded APPs                                                          ers use high-end mobile phone
                                                                                                                                                                             Preference
 related to health, communication, office and wealth management onto their                                                     brands, with one third of them
 mobile phones, and use online ticketing, astrology and food services more                                                     being Apple fans. Huawei, a
 through WeChat. For entertainment, they prefer purchasing objet d’art as well                                                 domestic mobile phone brand,
 as music such as blues, Latin and jazz. These activities strongly suggest that                                                ranks the second place.
 luxury consumers are choosing to spend more on experiences and an overall
 better quality of life.
      Luxury consumers are more interested in education, sports, finance and
 cars. In terms of sports, compared with previous years, their attention to more
 niche extreme sports and aquatic sports has increased over 50% in compari-
                                                                                                                                                                                                     Source: secoo.com, Tencent
 son to gym activities. There is also an increased interest in immigration/study-
 ing abroad as well as language and education programs.
                                                                                                                                     Luxury consumers download more APPs about travel, health, communi-
                                             Figure 7. Online luxury consumers by commercial preference                        cation, office, wealth management on their mobile phones. Online games and
                                                                                                                               mobile phone games, which have become highly popular this year, are still yet
                                                                                         Cars
                                                                                                Finance
                                                                                                                   Education   to attract them.
                                                                                                          Sports
                                                                                                                                                             Figure 9. Mobile phone APPs online luxury consumers preference

                                                                    Games
                                                       Job hunting and recruitment
                                           Animation and novels
Luxury consumers by                                                                                                                                                                                  Travel
commercial preference
                                                                                                                                   Preference for                             Communication
                                                                                                                                                                                               Health
                                                                                                                                                                                              Office
                                                                                                                                   mobile phone                                                               Wealth management
                                                                                                                                   APPs                                                              Online games                 Utility
         Sports                Business service                                          Education
                                                                                                                                                                                         Role play
     Aquatic sports             Immigration |studying abroad                         Language training
     Extreme sports             Marketing and public relations

     Running and cycling

       Ball games
     Sports equipment
      Gym Activities

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Source: secoo.com, Tencent
                                                                                           Source: secoo.com, Tencent

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     2.1 Portrait of core consumers in luxury e-commerce

    Luxury consumers particularly use online ticketing, astrological and
food services through WeChat services.

                                     Figure 10. WeChat Service preference of online luxury consumers
                                                                                                                         In terms of recreational activities, luxury consumers pay more attention
Preference for WeChat Service
                                                                                                                    to objet d’art, TV series, cultural and artistic pursuits than other groups of
                                                                                                                    people. Their enthusiasm for comedy and variety shows has declined over
                  Food
                                                                                                                    the last year while their interest in TV series, culture and art grows. As for
                                                                                                                    musical preferences, they prefer European and American music from the
                                                                                                                    1970s to the 1990s, with a particular keenness for the blues and jazz as well
          Constellation
                                                                                                                    as Latin music.

        Online ticketing
                                                                                                                                                                            Figure 12. Recreational activities of online luxury consumers

                                                                                                                     Recreation (TGI index)

                                                                             Source: secoo.com, Tencent
                                                                                                                                       Recreation                                Track era                        Music genre
                                                                                                               Cultural articles and
                                                                                                                                                              248 1970s                            188
     Luxury consumers prefer to travel in Europe and Asia. Among these                                                       antique
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      199

destinations, the UAE, Italy, France and Germany are the main tourist choices.                                            TV series                   157
                                                                                                                                                                  1980s                      147
                                                                                                                    Culture and art                   156
                                         Figure 11. Foreign travel preference of online luxury consumers                                                                                                                         178
                                                                                                                                                                  1990s                   128
                                                                                                                         Animation                    147
Preference for foreign travel
                                                                                                            Books and magazines                      146      2005-2009                 109                                     159

                                                                                                                               KTV                   144
                                                                                                                                                              2000-2004                 110
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                159
                                                                                                                             Movie                  126
                                                                                                                 Entertainment and                            2010-2014                105
                                                                                                           gossips/ Constellation &                 115
                                                                                                                              jokes                                                                                           144
                                                                                                                                               100        2015 and beyond              101
                                                                                                                      Variety show

                           UAE   Italy     France   Germany   Singapore   Japan   Portugal

                                                                             Source: secoo.com, Tencent                                                                                                  Source: secoo.com, Tencent

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      2.2 Motivation for purchasing luxury goods online

                                                                                                                                                                                   Figure 14. Luxury purchasing methods

                                                                                                                     Luxury purchasing methods    How would you prefer to purchase your favored luxury goods?
                                                                                                                                                  (240 samples aged averagely 20-30)

                                                                                                                                                     Purchase online, pick        Others
                                                                                                                                                     up from offline outlets
                                                                                                                                                                            11.3%
                                                                                                                                                                                 0.4%

     The millennials have made their grand debut into the world of luxury
consumption. They follow the principle of “being good to yourself”, just as they                                                                                 24.3%
follow their favorite fashion icons when dressing up for parties and events.
                                                                                                                                      Purchase online, deliver
Aside from the quality aspect that they value when purchasing luxury goods,                                                           home/company                                                  64.0%
                                                                                                                                                                                                              Offline physical stores
“being good to yourself” remains their primary motivation. Compared with their
parents, this generation is more individualistic and see luxury goods as a means
of achieving a higher quality of life.

                                                                                                                                                                                 Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on
                                                                       Figure 13. Motives for luxury purchase

Motives for luxury purchase         I want to be good to myself                                                                                                             Figure 15. Reasons for online luxury purchases
                                                                                                           17.8%
What is the main reason                                                                                                                                               What do you value most in online luxury purchases?
for luxury purchase?              Luxury goods are high quality
                                                                                                           17.8%                                                                                           (Single choice)
(240 samples aged
averagely 20-30)                                I want the latest
                                                                                                     15.6%                                                                                                 8,932 respondents

                                          It makes me feel cool
                                                                                                   14.9%                                Coverage in my region:10.2%
                                    It makes me look awesome
                                                                                          11.6%

                                       Luxury goods last longer                                                               Flexible purchase:17.24%                                    Other: 36.89%
                                                                                     9.7%
                                    I want to amaze my friends/
                                    family members/colleagues              5.4%

                              Influenced by celebrities and stars
                                                                       4.4%
                               Luxury brands/ companies have
                                        higher ethical standards    2.7%

                                                                                                                                                 Convenient order placemnet: 35.75
                                                                      Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Source: secoo.com

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     2.2 Motivation for purchasing luxury goods online

                                                                                                                                             Figure 16. Future trends of online luxury purchases

                                                                                                                                               No, because:

                                                                                    Will you spend more online (including times
                                                                                    and amounts) in the future?

                                                                                    8,932 respondents

                                                                                                                                                                           Yes:

                                                                                                                                                                           Source: secoo.com
      As a result, the younger generations are more accustomed to searching
for the latest fashion online. About 35% of these consumers purchase luxury                                                        Figure 17. Reasons for purchasing luxury goods in physical stores
goods online, while almost 100% of them will increase the frequency or
number of online purchases in the future. This is a completely logical predic-
                                                                                    Consumption motivation                  I can touch/experience
tion, especially given the convenience of online shopping in be able to             in physical stores                                    products                                             25.0%

purchase from an incredibly large range of goods without even setting foot into
                                                                                    What is the main reason for               I can try on products                                    21.3%
a physical store. These consumers still make purchases primarily at physical        luxury purchase in physical
                                                                                    stores? (240 samples aged                It is easier to compare
stores, but more interestingly, their visits to physical stores are not for                                                          products/styles                          15.9%
                                                                                    averagely 20-30)
shopping per se but to see and experience the product firsthand. In most
                                                                                                                      Browsing is more convenient                         14.0%
cases, consumers have already done their homework online before going to
the offline stores to simply do what they can’t do online. In other words, online                                           Suggestions/help from                         14.0%
                                                                                                                           professional salesclerks
and offline channels are not in opposition to each other in the eyes of these                                                    Greater range of
consumers but two stages in completing the whole shopping experience.                                                products/more sufficient stock
                                                                                                                    compared with online channels
                                                                                                                                                                7.8%

However, it also reflects that physical stores of luxury brands are becoming                                            Enjoy shopping experience      2.0%

less attractive to young people. In order to appeal to this consumer group,
brands need to consider how to create an unparalleled shopping experience
                                                                                                                                                       Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on
through online and offline integration.

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     2.3 Consumer preferences for luxury goods

                                                                                                                                 Figure 18. Demands for customized luxury goods

                                                                                Customized demands   Are you willing to pay extra fees for customized luxury goods? (240 samples
                                                                                                     aged averagely 20-30)

                                                                                              No
                                                                                                     20.9%

       Niche brands meet the demand of the masses
                                                                                                                                            40.6%            Definitely yes

            As popular culture becomes segmented, a greater number of
      consumers are increasingly attracted to niche brands, reflecting the
      more specialized trends within fashion while also aiming to meet the
      consumers’ demand for more unique individualized products. For
      example, as Chinese hip-hop culture is emerging from underground to
                                                                                          Maybe
                                                                                                     38.5%
      more mainstream, more young people are beginning to recognize and
      follow the fashion brand Supreme. Their pursuit of personalized
      products will promote the development of niche brands in more
      vertical sectors. Moreover, personalized custom-made products meet
                                                                                                                                         Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on
      most of the expectations of luxury consumers, even if it is at an extra
      cost.

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     2.3 Consumer preferences for luxury goods

                                                                                                                                       Figure 19. Deciding factors for purchasing luxury goods-

                                                                                         What do you look for the most when deciding to purchase luxury goods? (Only one choice)
                                                                                         8,932 respondents

                                                                                                                                                                              Price 26.04%

                                                                                   Consumer experience 11.31%

          Professional Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs)

           Younger generation consumers tend to think more carefully before
     making decisions. They are no longer satisfied with how unique a                               Style 35.17%                                                               Quality 27.49%
     product is, with value maximization being a main consideration. Other
     important factors which guide their decisions are style, quality, price and
     overall suitability. In terms of the question where this influence on their                                                                                            Source: secoo.com
     decision-making comes from, fashion brands still hold sway over
     consumers’ decision-making. In China, most consumers will search for                                                           Figure 20. Deciding influences on purchasing luxury goods

     information released on brands’ official websites or in flagship stores. It
                                                                                        Deciding influences Which of the following has the greatest influence on your decisions to purchase
     is also the reception of these luxury trends by celebrities and key opinion                            luxury goods? (240 samples aged 20-30 on average)
     leaders (KOLs) that also hold a strong influence over the younger
     demographic purchase decisions.                                                                               Your friends
                                                                                                                                    19.2%
           An important factor to note is that as niche fashion grows, the
     influence of stars and celebrities on the popularity of luxury goods has
                                                                                                                                                                            Brands
     lowered to 4.4%, while KOLs’ influence has substantially increased.                                                                                          44.8%
     KOLs have become segmented as well, with more professional KOLs
     becoming more specialized in and focused on a certain field, such as in
     hip-hop culture, cocktail culture and history. These individuals or groups
                                                                                               Your favorite celebrities          36.0%
     may not be particularly famous and could even be completely unknown
                                                                                               /influencers
     outside their own circle, but, with an increasingly-specialized expertise
     and deeper understanding of fashion trends, they have gained attention
     and recognition from an increasing number of young people who are                                                                               Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on
     looking for more niche culture.

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         2.3 Consumer preferences for luxury goods

                                                                                                                                                                                               Figure 22. Luxury characteristics

                                                                                                                  Characteristics of luxury goods      What are the key characteristics of luxury goods that attract you
                                          Multi-brand loyalty                                                                                          compared with non-luxury goods? (240 samples aged 20-30 on
                                                                                                                                                       average)
           This consumer group shows higher loyalty to brands. Nearly 60% of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 31.4%
     them consistently purchase the products of a few certain brands with around                                            High-quality products
                                                                                                                                                                                                           26.4%
     35% making selections across many brands. As the Chinese market grows                                                       Unique products
                                                                                                                                                                                                        10.9%
     increasingly more mature, consumers have more brand choices, which                                                              Back Stories
                                                                                                                                                                                                   8.8%
     places more challenges on these brands. How to improve consumer loyalty                                                  Tradition/reputation
                                                                                                                                                                                                6.7%
     is a question of long-term strategy. Unique products with excellent quality are                                       Celebrity endorsement
                                                                                                                                                                                            6.3%
     the main reason for consumers why choose to keep following a brand.                                                Somehow relevant to me
                                                                                                                                                                                        4.2%
     Another guiding factor for this younger generation of consumers is social                                                           Interesting
     responsibility, therefore they also value brands’ social sustainability and                                                                                                     2.5%
                                                                                                                                           Inspiring
     ethical standards. Aside for merely purchasing a nice-looking product, luxury                                                                                                  1.7%
                                                                                                                           Popular among friends
     consumption is also a reflection of the consumer’s identity and what they
     want from life and society as a whole. Brands need to create positive
     messages on sustainability and social responsibility, in order to build a                                                                                                        Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on

     long-lasting connection with consumers.
                                                                                                                                                                                            Figure 23. Attention to sustainability
                                                                             Figure 21. Luxury brand loyalty
                                                                                                                        Attention to sustainability    Are you concerned about a brand’s sustainability and ethical standards
    Brand loyalty   Which is the most accurate description that applies to you when you purchase                                                       before purchasing products? (240 samples aged 20-30 on average)
                    luxury goods? (240 samples aged 20-30 on average)
                                                                                                                                                                    Never
                    I only consider one brand I like                                                                                                       Rarely
                                                                                                                                                                8.0%
                 I only buy what I like,   6.7%                                                                                                                    0.4%
                 regardless of brands 6.7%

                                                                        I mainly consider a few favorite brands
                                                                51.9%                                                                   Always 38.5%                                53.1% Sometimes

I consider a range of brands I like 34.7%

                                                                  Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on                                                                        Source: Deloitte’s luxury report Bling it on

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                                                                CHINA LUXURY
                                                   E-COMMERCE WHITEPAPER 2017

     CHAPTER 3

                     Challenges to and reflections on luxury
                                               e-commerce

                       Following the shift of consumer power to younger generations
                 and the continuous development of commercial digitalization, e-com-
                 merce is now the new frontier for luxury brands. Prior to 2016, luxury
                 brands had already started to make their online presence known with
                 digital marketing, with an impressive array of remarkable luxury digital
                 marketing cases. However, only a few brands made the leap into
                 digital sales, e-commerce, but they did not go any further. However,
                 since 2016, more and more players in the luxury market have started
                 to develop their online capabilities, seeking to connect digital market-
                 ing and sales. A closed loop with higher conversion rate has been
                 formed, and transformation has been significantly enhanced in terms
                 of depth and breadth.

                      However, throughout the process of e-commerce development
                 for numerous luxury brands, there has yet to be a recognized
                 successful case study. Most luxury brands are still at the trial and
                 exploration stage. We have observed that after stepping beyond the
                 boundaries of their more-traditional sales practices, luxury brands
                 have faced enormous challenges that are far beyond their expecta-
                 tions. The challenges confronting luxury brands mainly fall into the
                 following three areas:

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                                                                                Challenge 3: E-commerce is not “another new channel” – the necessity
                                                                                        of transforming to an omni-channel business model

     Challenge 1: Selecting the right business platform                              As consumers become more demanding and retail technologies
       Compared to the familiar offline channels, online channels are a         continue to develop, retail models across the world, especially in China,
 brave new world for luxury brands. This is against the backdrop of             have started on the path of developing from the traditional
 e-commerce development in the Chinese market long surpassing the               channel-based purchase model to a scenario-based purchase model.
 European and US markets. Therefore, there is only so much that multina-        Online and offline channels are no longer divided in the eyes of many
 tional companies can learn from foreign markets. How should a brand            consumers. All consumers need are personalized shopping experiences
 choose between integrated e-commerce platforms, vertical e-com-                that are convenient and seemingly seamless; or to put it more succinctly,
 merce platforms, social platforms and self-built brand websites? How           “what they think is what they see, what they see is what they get”.
 should the operational difficulty and input-output ratio of different          Therefore, for luxury companies, e-commerce is not simply about setting
 platforms and models be considered? How to align with the brand’s own          up an “e-commerce department”, separate from existing channels, but
 offline channels and maintain the price systems between different              aims to links digital marketing as well as sale and offline channels as a
 channels? Does the platform’s image match the brand? How to fight              whole. A transformation to an omni-channel business model is needed.
 against counterfeits? Does a company need to consider different models         Luxury companies need to consider how to move away from the
 or even composite models during different periods and under different          separated channel-based business model and internal management,
 circumstances? These are all pressing issues that need to be addressed         and build a truly customer-oriented, omni-channel, high-end experience
 by luxury companies.                                                           as well as an effective operation plan behind.

     Challenge 2: Creating a unique e-commerce experience

       Customer experience is a key concern for luxury brands, in which
 high standards with impeccable detail is at its core. Consumption paths
 and key influence points of online luxury goods are notably different from
 those in their offline counterparts. Driven by the digitalization trend, the
 existing high standards of consumer experience are further extended.
 Apart from how products are displayed online, the customer experience
 is more of a question of the transmission and interaction of customized
 information based on the in-depth analysis of the consumer. Luxury
 e-commerce requires more than flawless visual presentation. Compared
 to the precision marketing of mass consumer products, there needs to
 be a focus on customized exclusive service, which attracts to internet
 natives’ self-oriented digital experience.

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     3.1 Challenge 1: Selecting the right business model

                                                                                                    Figure 1. Interpretations of the models for luxury brands to enter the e-commerce market

                                                                                                      Integrated                   Vertical
                                                                                                     e-commerce                 e-commerce              Social platform              Self-built website
                                                                                                       platform                   platform

                                                                                  Brief            Enter large integrated     Enter vertical            Enter social platforms       Establish the official
                                                                                                   platforms, and set up      e-commerce                that manage users            website with the brand
                                                                                  introduction     direct-sale stores for     platforms, and            through brand names          name as the domain
                                                                                  of the model     the brand                  cooperate in a variety    and deliver a variety of     name
                                                                                                                              of ways                   services

                                                                                                   • Set-up can be           • Be able to quickly       • Huge number of             • Be able to maintain
                                                                                                     completed more            develop customized         active users on the          high level of
                                                                                                     quickly on an             solutions by               mainstream social            consistency and
                                                                                                     already-developed         partnering with            platforms                    flexibility of brand
                                                                                                     platform based on its     professionals in the     • Be able to achieve a         image
                                                                                                     templates                 luxury e-commerce          variety of functions,      • Full control of content
                                                                                                   • Relatively low            industry                   including online sales,      and platform
                                                                                                     investment with direct • Relatively low              marketing, customer        • Ownership of all
                                                                                                     access to ready-made      investment, with           relationship                 resources, including
                                                                                  Advantages         templates                 access to                  management, etc.             user data, etc.
                                                                                                   • Integrated platforms      resources and the        • Simple model               • Creating an
                                                                                                     have certain traffic      high-end image of          construction of              independent space
                                                                                                     advantages                the platform               WeChat public                to interact with
                                                                                                   • Be able to benefit from • Directly facing the         account and                  consumers
                                                                                                     the technical and         luxury users and           micro-stores
                                                                                                     resource advantages       potential users to         (Weidian) and
                                                                                                     of the platform by        achieve higher             relatively low
      Given China’s unique digitalization environment, online retail has become                      leveraging more digital   conversion rate;           threshold
                                                                                                     means                     users’ acceptance        • Socialization is in line
a significant part of the overall retail market. Due to its continuous rapid                                                   of full- price             with the major trends
                                                                                                                               products is higher         in the Chinese market
growth, the penetration of online retail has increased year on year. Meanwhile,
digital marketing has become an important way for brand companies to carry                         • Customer experience • Starting at a late           • The role of social         • Requiring large-scale
                                                                                                     and content are           stage, it takes a          platform is more             investment in the
out marketing and manage their users in China. The core issue remains                                subject to the            certain amount of          related to customer          early period and
                                                                                                     platform's constraints    time to accumulate         operations than              ongoing investment in
though of how brand companies should set out their online strategies based                         • Rising platform costs     user resources and         e-commerce                   the later period with
                                                                                                   • The public platform       to fully utilize word    • In order to better           high investment risk
on their own conditions, this report summarizes the representative models                            may have an impact on of mouth, and                  serve consumers ,          • High demands for
                                                                                                     the brand image           forms a positive           WeChat can serve as          multifaceted resource
used in the Chinese market. Different models have their own respective                             • Platform users are        business model             a diversion tool rather      mobilization and
                                                                                  Points to note     mostly price sensitive  • The professional           than a complete              integration, and
characteristics, and luxury brands should design their online strategies in a                        users who look for        level of each vertical     solution.                    higher demands for
                                                                                                     discounts and             platform is uneven,                                     internal management
systematic manner based on their own strategic directions, brand needs and                           promotions                and the brand                                           and operation
                                                                                                   • Possibility for           needs to be                                           • There is a need to
brand characteristics.                                                                               counterfeiting by other   cautious in making                                      continuously
                                                                                                     sellers on the platform   the right choice.                                       encourage users and
                                                                                                                                                                                       accumulate traffic

                                                                                                                                                                             Source: Deloitte Analysis

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