The title of this blog post may be a bit confusing. Let me
clarify that this is regarding China, even though it says “U.S. Mall”. In
summary, the Chinese retailer has created a segment of their website referenced
as the U.S. Mall to sell product from USA brands. However, it is regarding the
sale of product in China. If you read below, it should become more
clear.
As reported on Bloomberg
earlier this week, Taylor Swift is teaming up with JD.com Inc, to sell a
new fashion line designed specifically for Chinese shoppers. Dresses,
sweatshirts and other tops will be available in August 2015 on the website,
ahead of Swift’s “1989” tour visit to Shanghai in November 2015. JD.com is one
of the largest e-commerce companies in China.
JD is hoping that this project with Taylor Swift will help
them expand deeper into the clothing segment.
The company also announced plans on Monday for a “U.S. mall,”
an area of its site devoted to American products.
According to the Bloomberg article, “JD shares have climbed
85 percent since their initial public offering in May 2014. The stock fell 0.7
percent to $35.06 at the close in New York on Monday.”
Below you will find the full news about the Taylor Swift
clothing product with JD.com
JD.com (Nasdaq:JD), China's largest online direct sales
company, announced July 20, 2015 it will be the first authorized seller of
Taylor Swift merchandise in China. The new JD.com store will be the
official online source of Taylor Swift items featuring select, high-quality
goods, including a new fashion line the music superstar designed specifically
for the Chinese market.
Ms. Swift announced the news in a video released July
20th.
"JD.com is delighted to become the sole online source of
authentic, high-quality Taylor Swift merchandise," said Richard Liu, JD.com
founder and CEO. "She is an enormously popular artist and true global cultural
icon who is winning over thousands of new fans in China each day. It is
gratifying to be recognized as China's online shopping platform of choice for
those who value authenticity and quality."
"JD.com is simply the one and only e-commerce site where
shoppers in China can be assured they will get only authentic Taylor Swift
products that meet the high quality standards her fans deserve," said Mark
McDonald, Chairman of Heritage66 Company, Taylor Swift's Nashville-based partner
company that will host her products on JD.com. "We are excited to unveil a
Taylor Swift Fashion line exclusively on JD.com later this
summer."
Clothing from the new Taylor Swift fashion line
will include high-quality dresses, sweatshirts and tops and will be available
next month on JD.com. The line was designed exclusively for the Chinese
market with local consumers in mind, and will only be available for sale in
China and on JD.com. The styles were created by Taylor Swift in partnership
with Heritage66 Company, which
represents American artists seeking to expand their reach in
China.
Taylor Swift will bring her 1989 World Tour Concert November
10-12, 2015 to Shanghai.
Below is more information about the “U.S. mall” planned
for the JD.com website.
JD.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:JD), China's largest online direct sales
company, on July 20, 2015 announced the launch of its U.S. Mall, a new
channel on the company's JD Worldwide cross-border platform dedicated
exclusively to offering authentic imported U.S. products for sale to its
customers in China.
Kicking off its push with American brands, JD.com
announced on July 20, 2015 that it will feature authentic products from Taylor
Swift including a fashion line that the artist is designing exclusively for JD's
customers. The products will be sold through the Heritage66 Company flagship
store operated by the Nashville-based company that partners with Taylor Swift
and other leading celebrities who are looking to tap into the China market. In
addition, some of the recently signed American brands that JD.com features
include Converse, Samsonite, Ocean Spray and several major apparel labels that
are part of the Global Brands Group (SEHK:787),
including Nautica Kids and Jeep apparel (The Global Brands Group started in 2005
when Li &
Fung established a wholesale business focusing on private label and branded
apparel in order to broaden its relationships with existing and new retailer
customers).
JD.com also announced a partnership with DHL Global
Forwarding to help American brands ensure that their products reach Chinese
consumers more quickly and easily. Through this partnership, DHL is the
preferred logistics service provider for moving American products ordered on
JD.com's U.S. Mall to and across China.
The launch event, hosted by JD.com founder and CEO Richard
Liu, included several hundred representatives from major U.S. brands, including
Mark McDonald, chairman of Heritage66 Company.
"As American companies increasingly understand our core
advantages of zero tolerance towards counterfeits and unparalleled same-day
delivery capabilities, we are gaining excellent momentum attracting U.S. brands
to our site," said Mr. Liu. "Chinese consumers appreciate that the United States
is a global leader in the areas of product reputation, quality, reliability and
variety of goods, and American companies are clearly benefiting from this
unprecedented market opportunity. That’s why we are so pleased to be bringing
Taylor Swift’s new fashion line to China through our partnership with Heritage66
Company.
"With JD.com's U.S. Mall up and running, and great partners
like Global Brands on board, Chinese consumers have an ever-growing range of new
choices of American products, including Nautica Kids and Converse. We couldn't
be happier to be working with DHL, a brand synonymous with superior
international logistics, to help get these products into the hands of Chinese
consumers with the speed and reliability our customers have come to
expect."
"With increasing demand for 'Made in America' products,
Chinese consumers are buying American products from JD.com at an exponential
rate, with exports from the U.S. into China in 2014 totaling over $123 billion,"
said Alfred Goh, Senior Vice President & Global Head, Fast Growing
Enterprises, DHL Customer Solutions and Innovation. "With our full suite of
logistics solutions, DHL is well positioned to provide Chinese consumers with
easy access to U.S.-made products, while improving overall supply chain
efficiency for the retailers. All consumers globally expect their orders to
arrive promptly and our extensive network and reliability will help JD.com
extend quality service to its customers."
"We are thrilled to be partnering with JD.com, the leading
platform for upwardly mobile Chinese consumers seeking quality American brands
and products," said Bruce Rockowitz, CEO and Vice Chairman of Global Brands
Group Holding Limited. "Online shopping has become an increasingly important
trend in the Chinese market. Through our strategic partnership with JD.com, we
look forward to making even more leading American brands available through this
innovative platform."
At a Beijing event earlier this year with U.S. Ambassador to
China Max Baucus, the company launched a trial offering of fresh produce
including Boston lobster, California wines and fruit from the U.S., and food
products from brands including Ocean Spray, Ghirardelli, Silk, Starbucks,
Organic Valley, Mars, Quaker, Dead Guy Ale, Sun-Maid and Pringles, among dozens
of others. The new U.S. Mall builds on the success of these efforts and brings a
whole new range of U.S. products to the Chinese market in categories including
apparel, cosmetics, electronics and baby products, among many
others.
For global suppliers, JD offers a simplified handling process
for cross-border transactions, including recommendations on operational and
international logistics partners that businesses can use to reduce costs and
improve the efficiency of selling through the JD Worldwide platform. As global
companies look to reach the rapidly growing Chinese market without the typical
logistical challenges of doing business there, the JD Worldwide platform
provides an easy entry point without a huge time investment.
The launch of the U.S. Mall marks the company's fifth
sales channel dedicated to coveted national products, with others to follow
based on customer demand in China. Online malls announced so far in 2015 cover
Australia, France, Japan and Korea.
For your reference, this new segment of the Chinese
e-commerce website is different than an actual shopping mall in the United
States. Here is the shopping
mall definition if you are curious and wish to learn more.
We hope that you have found this news about this online
retailer to be helpful. You can find additional online fashion
retailers in our retail clothing store directory section.