Alibaba’s virtual idol Noah promoted electronics giant Haier during Double 11.
During China’s annual Double 11 shopping extravaganza, it’s all systems go for top players to show off their marketing chops. Over the past year, that’s meant utilizing the technological and digital advancements surging through the country’s e-commerce landscape, as well as tapping the changing behavior of local consumers — particularly the spending power of Gen Z.
While Web3 remains a largely newfound space, big and small retail brands alike have demonstrated ambitions to crack the terrain. And there’s no better time to ramp up efforts than during China’s shopping festivals, with last year’s Double 11 hitting a record-high gross merchandise value of $84.54 billion (540.3 billion RMB) and attracting at least 900 million consumers.
With over 290,000 brands taking part in last year’s festival, and new names including Bulgari and Moncler joining the roster this year, some brands are looking ahead at how the metaverse can separate them, and their online experiences, from the crowd. Below, Jing Daily rounds up some of the Double 11 Web3 activations from Alibaba Group this year.
Tmall trumps competitors with a series of digital-first activations
Owned by Alibaba, online retail group Tmall was one of the first players to harness the power of Web3 across China and remains one of the leading pioneers in the space. Unsurprisingly, the tech titan came out on top after launching myriad virtual retail campaigns in honor of the festival.
For example, New York-based cosmetics label Maybelline released its first-ever global metaverse campaign on the e-commerce platform, in collaboration with K-pop girl group ITZY. The beauty brand launched “The City of Rhythm,” a virtual universe designed exclusively for Double 11 and lasting throughout the month of November. Over the past year, the cosmetics industry has found new potential within the metaverse, with many names — including Nars, YSL Beauté and Sephora — flocking to the digital domain to showcase innovations. But what Maybelline does so well is gamifying the experience, offering its customers the opportunity to access exclusive benefits through incentivized activities, as well as appointing well-recognized ambassadors to attract fans. Continue to read the full article here
