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How high-end brands leverage Chinese social media during Fashion Week

Shanghai Fashion Week Social media luxury - Retail in Asia

Next month, Shanghai Fashion Week will be kicking off, not only offline, but online, as brands increasingly seek to engage a wider consumer audience in China. During the international fashion weeks over the last two months, luxury brands have also taken advantage of opportunities to use social media’s instant access and far-reaching influence to reach those who couldn’t attend or view the live shows. Battles between brands now happen not only on the runway, on TV, and in print, but also on social media, and things are becoming increasingly competitive.

Luxury brands have a smaller presence on Chinese social media than they do on social media outside of China. So how can Chinese social media be optimized during the international fashion weeks?

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WeChat: In-Depth Communication

WeChat, as China’s leading social media app, had 768 million daily active users at the end of 2016, half of whom spend at least 90 minutes per day on the platform. According to L2 Inc.’s Luxury China survey, there are 107 luxury brands in China and 92 percent of them have official WeChat accounts. Here are some emerging trends during the fashion week for luxury brands on WeChat.

Weibo: Mass Broadcasting

Compared to WeChat, Weibo is a much more open platform for information sharing, especially when it comes to raising public awareness in a short time. Although luxury brands currently take WeChat more seriously than Weibo, it’s still a major promotion platform that contributes to higher interaction rates.

Live-Streaming: Catering to the Fan Economy

Live-streaming fashion shows has become a new trend for luxury brands. It’s up-to-the-minute, direct, and often uses original formats. They can include runway shows, backstage preparation, celebrity interviews, and more.

Young consumers in China have taken an increasingly important role in luxury consumption. They’re attracted to the products as well as the lifestyle and image projected by brands. Since young viewers make up the majority of live-stream audiences, this is a good direction for fashion houses.

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Here are our fashion week recommendations for luxury brands on Chinese social media:

1. Use WeChat as a presentation platform that allows your audience to search for fashion collection photos and information.

2. Incorporate more celebrities/KOLs in your WeChat content, with exclusive interviews, Q&A sessions and lucky draws to increase exposure and consumer loyalty.

3. Weibo is for a mass audience, broadcast oriented, and suited to fashion show previews, live streams, and backstage photos.

4. Involve more fashion-related KOLs in your fashion week promos.

5. Broadcasting fashion shows live to Chinese audiences on platforms like Yizhibo, Meipai, and Tencent can help luxury brands get more attention and enhance customers’ experience, especially when celebrities and KOLs are involved.

 

Jing Daily logoThis article was written by Ashley Galina Dudarenok and Susie Hu from ChoZan for Jing DailyJing Daily is the leading digital publication on luxury consumer trends in China. Professionals seeking to understand China’s complex and rapidly evolving luxury industry look to Jing Daily for fresh and accurate insights. We publish up-to-the-minute news updates, reports on key trends, insights from leading industry figures, and in-depth analysis on this vitally important market.