French fashion brand Louis Vuitton, part of LVMH, announced that it has launched an eCommerce website in China.
According to Reuters, the move comes as the luxury retailer tries to tap into the country?s booming online shopping market.
Louis Vuitton, which opened its first store in Beijing in 1992, will offer leather goods, small leather goods, shoes, accessories, watches and jewelry, luggage, and the just-launched Les Parfums Louis Vuitton on the website. Payments can be made via UnionPay, Alipay and WeChat.
Bloomberg reported that while Chinese consumers have lined up outside Louis Vuitton stores around the world to buy the brand?s products, online luxury sales in China have been slower to develop. But now online is getting a boost. In fact, JD.com recently bought a $397-million stake in London-based online fashion retailer Farfetch, and Gucci launched its own Chinese eCommerce site this month. For now, the Louis Vuitton site will be available in 12 cities: Beijing, Shanghai, ChongQing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenyang, Dalian, Harbin and Wuhan. There are plans to add additional cities later on. China is the 11th eCommerce market for Vuitton since it launched its first site in France in 2005.
The brand?s owner, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, owns 70 luxury brands, including Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Fendi and Givenchy. It recently launched a multibrand luxury eCommerce site that falls under the branding umbrella of Le Bon MarchÃ...