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  • Drugmakers Turn to Gyms and Metros to Drive China Weight-Loss Sales

    Drugmakers Turn to Gyms and Metros to Drive China Weight-Loss Sales

    Global and local drugmakers are plastering Chinese metro stations, gyms, and sports stadiums with obesity campaigns to capture a 30 billion yuan weight-loss market. China bans direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription medicines, forcing pharmaceutical companies to sell lifestyle interventions rather than brand names to a population where overweight rates could top 65 per cent by 2030.

    Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and domestic group Innovent Biologics are vying for early dominance in once-weekly GLP-1 injections. In the second quarter, Lilly took the top spot in sales on Alibaba’s Tmall and JD.com, according to Jefferies data. To sustain demand, companies place unbranded warnings about sleep apnoea and fatty liver disease in high-traffic public transit hubs and fitness chains.

    Sidestepping the Ban on Drug Ads

    Regulations permit pharmaceutical brands to discuss disease symptoms publicly, provided they omit specific prescription product names. Lilly ran subway displays in Shanghai’s Jing’an district alerting commuters to the links between snoring and excess weight, while Innovent partnered with delivery giant Meituan on transit billboards highlighting fatty liver reversal. Innovent also promoted weight management messages during football matches in Suzhou and featured a mascot named Madudu, echoing the generic name of its mazdutide injection.

    Pfizer collaborated with gym chain Supermonkey on public workout events in Shanghai. State broadcaster CCTV worked with Novo Nordisk on a public health exhibit in Beijing featuring group dancing. These street campaigns drive consumers directly to hospital consultation rooms. Doctors at clinics in Shanghai and Guangzhou report that patients increasingly ask for specific treatments by name, shifting from Novo’s semaglutide to Lilly’s tirzepatide and Innovent’s mazdutide.

    The Race for a Four Billion Dollar Market

    China’s prescription weight-loss segment generates between 3 billion and 4 billion yuan today. JP Morgan projects that total will hit 30 billion yuan, or roughly $4 billion, within five to seven years. Novo Nordisk started the race with a late 2024 rollout, Lilly entered in January 2025, Pfizer issued its first prescriptions in April, and Innovent rolled out its drug in July 2025.

    RetailNews Asia notes that healthcare brands across East Asia have long used subtle educational pushes to bypass medical marketing restrictions, but the intensity in China now mirrors consumer FMCG marketing more than traditional clinical outreach. Competitors are actively adjusting their public phrasing to match consumer vocabulary, moving budget away from purely hospital-focused sales representatives.

    Regulators in the region are watching the grey area closely. Lilly paused an obesity awareness campaign in India earlier this year after local authorities raised concerns that public outreach coincided directly with the market launch of Mounjaro. In China, market regulators will determine whether mascot branding and metro displays cross into unlawful prescription drug promotion as rollout volumes climb through the end of 2026.

  • ALO Enters China with Tmall Debut After RMB10 Million First-Minute Sales

    ALO Enters China with Tmall Debut After RMB10 Million First-Minute Sales

    Alo Yoga entered the mainland Chinese market on August 12 through an exclusive storefront on Alibaba Group’s Tmall platform, generating over RMB10 million in its opening minute.

    Pre-sales opened at 12:30 a.m., setting a record for the fastest launch sales in Tmall’s sports and outdoor category.

    Targeting high-spend shoppers

    The premium activewear label is retailing women’s and men’s apparel, footwear, accessories and wellness products through the flagship store. The partnership gives Alo direct access to Tmall’s 88VIP program, an active pool of more than 62 million top-tier spenders across the platform.

    “The partnership reinforces Tmall’s position as the go-to choice for global brands in China seeking high-value customers and scalable growth,” said Gu Di, general manager of sports and outdoors at Taobao and Tmall Group.

    Digital-first route into activewear

    Selling online first allows Alo to test product demand across Chinese provinces without committing capital upfront to prime shopping mall leases. Rival athletic apparel brands established their presence in China by building city-by-city community hubs before opening physical stores, whereas Alo is relying on Alibaba’s customer database to build scale immediately.

    The Chinese online rollout follows Alo’s wider expansion across Asia-Pacific, which recently included a physical store launch in the Philippines. The next test for the company is whether early online demand will translate into brick-and-mortar locations in tier-one retail hubs.

  • Alo Yoga Breaks Ground in China with Exclusive E-commerce Store on Tmall

    Alo Yoga Breaks Ground in China with Exclusive E-commerce Store on Tmall

    Alo, a US-based athleisure brand, is making its debut in the e-commerce sector of Mainland China through a partnership with Tmall. This new online store launch will provide Alo with a direct retail channel to a new consumer base.

    First E-commerce Store in Mainland China

    The new online store will feature over 300 products from the Alo range, cementing its exclusivity as Alo’s sole e-commerce platform in the region. This partnership also provides Alo with the opportunity to tap into Tmall’s extensive customer base, specifically its 62 million 88VIP members.

    Gu Di, GM of sports and outdoors at the Taobao and Tmall Group, expressed optimism that the collaboration would enable Alo to connect with high-value customers in the country. Gu remarked that the partnership underlines Tmall’s reputation as the preferred choice for international brands looking to engage high-value customers and achieve scalable growth in China.

    Expansion and Growth

    Alo originally ventured into mainland China in June, establishing its brand presence on popular platforms WeChat and Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. Since its initial entry, Alo has launched an event booking platform via a WeChat Mini Program and enlisted Chinese K-pop star Ningning from Aespa as a brand ambassador.

    Maggie Xie, an associate director at S&P Global Ratings, supported this strategy, stating that it allows Alo to leverage its current social media popularity while keeping initial investments to a minimum. She explained that by prioritizing an online store launch in mainland China, Alo can capitalize on its existing social media following and gauge consumer demand and product preferences with lower upfront capital expenditure compared to physical stores.

    Established in 2007, Alo has garnered a large following of younger consumers, thanks to its California-inspired designs and endorsements from celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid.

    Questions & Answers

    What is Alo’s strategy for its entry into the Chinese market?
    Alo is leveraging the popularity of e-commerce by launching its first online store in Mainland China through Tmall. This approach allows the brand to test the market with lower upfront costs compared to opening physical stores.

    What is the significance of Alo’s new partnership with Tmall?
    The partnership provides Alo with a direct retail channel to Tmall’s extensive customer base, including over 62 million 88VIP members. It also positions Tmall as the preferred choice for international brands seeking scalable growth in China.

    How has Alo built its following among younger consumers?
    Alo has built a strong following among younger consumers through its unique California-inspired designs and the endorsement from celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. This celebrity endorsement strategy has played a significant role in enhancing the brand’s appeal.

  • Musinsa: Powering Korean Fashion Invasion in China with Dual Tmall Presence

    Musinsa: Powering Korean Fashion Invasion in China with Dual Tmall Presence

    South Korean fashion marketplace, Musinsa, is advancing its business strategy in China by launching on Tmall Global, the cross-border e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba Group. This step builds upon Musinsa’s initial foray into the Chinese market last year through the domestic Tmall marketplace. This dual-platform presence gives Musinsa the advantage of permeating both the local Chinese e-commerce ecosystem and the cross-border shopping channel.

    Musinsa’s aim is to assist small and mid-sized Korean fashion brands who have traditionally encountered high barriers to China’s market entry, such as regulatory complexity, logistical hurdles, and the high costs associated with establishing local operations. By leveraging the platform model, these brands can sell their products directly to Chinese consumers without the need to establish a local entity. Musinsa is also in a position to extend comprehensive services to participating brands. These services include platform integration, logistics coordination, marketing, and customer service.

    Content-Led Curation Strategy and Promotional Initiatives

    Musinsa is adopting a content-led curation strategy to introduce Korean fashion trends to Chinese consumers. Alongside this, the company is outlining various marketing initiatives. These include co-branded campaigns with Tmall Global, promotional events, and livestream shopping activations.

    Musinsa had already made headway into the Chinese market through a joint venture with Anta Sports, establishing Musinsa China to expand through both online and offline channels. The company launched its flagship store on Tmall last year, introducing its modern basic casual wear brand, Musinsa Standard, as well as Musinsa Store.

    A representative from Musinsa China stated that the opening of the online flagship store was the first step towards introducing competitive emerging Korean brands to China’s younger generation. The representative also indicated that Musinsa would utilize its vast experience in the fashion industry and localization strategies to quicken the global expansion of K-fashion.

    Questions & Answers

    What is Musinsa’s plan for the Chinese market?
    Musinsa plans to aid small and medium-sized Korean fashion brands in accessing the Chinese market by providing a platform for them to sell directly to Chinese customers.

    What services is Musinsa offering to participating brands?
    Musinsa is providing comprehensive services including platform integration, logistics coordination, marketing, and customer service.

    What is Musinsa’s strategy to promote Korean fashion trends in China?
    Musinsa is adopting a content-led curation strategy to introduce Korean fashion trends to Chinese consumers and is planning various marketing initiatives such as co-branded campaigns with Tmall Global, promotional events, and livestream shopping activations.

  • Tmall launches perfume advising services

    Tmall launches perfume advising services

    Alibaba’s online business-to-consumer retail platform Tmall has launched a perfume advising service, seeking to help consumers with perfume selection and use, the e-commerce giant said in a news release.

    Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and Prada have piloted the service on their Tmall flagship stores, allowing its customers to chat with “certified perfume consultants,” receive advice on picking a daily scent or receive gifting tips.

    Close to 200 consumers tried out the service on its launch, including many male consumers buying perfumes for Valentine’s Day, the company said.per

    More brands plan to roll out the service in the coming months, said Alibaba

  • H&M closes Shanghai flagship after Covid lockdowns

    H&M closes Shanghai flagship after Covid lockdowns

    H&M has shut its flagship Shanghai store, its latest closure in China where consumer demand has slumped amid COVID-19 lockdowns and the fast-fashion retailer has borne the brunt of a backlash against companies that refuse to use Xinjiang cotton.

    Although it was open earlier this month, the three-storey building in downtown Shanghai was on Friday boarded up with its H&M signage gone.

    The world’s second-biggest fast-fashion retailer entered China in 2007 with the opening of the Shanghai flagship store and rapidly expanded. It had more than 500 stores in mainland China early last year but its website currently only lists 376, including the flagship Shanghai store.

    The company declined to comment, citing a blackout period prior to its first-half earnings report on June 29.

    Although nearly a month has passed since Shanghai lifted a strict two-month lockdown, consumers have yet to return to malls in significant numbers.

    Chinese consumers have also beat a retreat from its products after a letter in which H&M expressed concerns about allegations of forced labour in the Xinjiang region came to light in 2021.

    Other brands that publicly disavowed Xinjiang cotton such as Inditex’s, Zara, Nike and Adidas have also suffered with Chinese netizens calling for boycotts and Chinese celebrities refusing to work with them.

    But the backlash against H&M, the first foreign retailer to express concerns, has been particularly harsh. Unlike other brands, its products remain unavailable on major Chinese e-commerce sites such as Tmall and JD.com.

    UN experts and rights groups estimate over a million people, mainly Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, have been detained in recent years in a vast system of camps in China’s western Xinjiang region.

    Many former inmates have said they were subject to ideological training and abuse in the camps. China denies all accusations of abuse.

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  • Farfetch launches flagship on Tmall Luxury Pavilion

    Farfetch launches flagship on Tmall Luxury Pavilion

    Farfetch is launching a Tmall Luxury Pavilion flagship store to enable thousands of luxury brands to reach Chinese consumers as part of its localization strategy in the region.

    The integration of Farfetch on Tmall means that Alibaba Group’s 779 million consumers will have access to products from more than 3,500 luxury brands, 90 percent of which did not previously have a presence on Tmall.

    Judy Liu, managing director of Farfetch Greater China, said in a statement: “This is an important and exciting milestone in our partnership with Alibaba and creates an incredible opportunity for luxury brands to expand into the China market at a time when international travel has been curtailed and luxury customers are unable to travel to their most loved brands’ boutiques in Europe.

    “This launch is just the beginning in our partnership as we work together to help brands and retailers fully digitize their businesses online and offline through our Luxury New Retail strategy, both in China and globally.”

    The new storefront occupies a premier position on the Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s homepage with one of the five main navigation buttons and a premium permanent banner, explained Alibaba.

    To celebrate the launch, Farfetch has partnered with well-known celebrities and influencers in China to promote the storefront. There will also be social engagement campaigns and an advertising campaign across key social media platforms.

    Janet Wang, general manager of Tmall Luxury, added: “The launch of the Farfetch Tmall flagship is a very exciting moment for China’s booming online luxury market. Underpinned by Alibaba’s digital ecosystem, the Farfetch flagship store is greatly expanding the luxury product offerings to more than 779 million Chinese consumers on our platform.

    “In partnership with Farfetch, we will continually enhance our product selection, marketing strategies, and membership services for our consumers. We aim to set the standard in the industry and lead the digitization of luxury shopping.”

    The launch follows the strategic partnership between Alibaba Group, Farfetch, and Richemont announced in November 2020 to accelerate the digitization of the luxury fashion industry. The Luxury New Retail initiative aims to leverage Farfetch’s and Alibaba’s state-of-the-art omnichannel retail technologies, including a full suite of enterprise solutions powered by the two companies, to serve the needs of luxury businesses.

    These solutions will serve both mono-brand and multi-brand distribution strategies for luxury brands, including fully-connected e-commerce websites and apps, omnichannel retail technology, and access to the Farfetch and Tmall Luxury Pavilion marketplaces via a single integration.

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  • Tmall seeks to boost engagement with Chinese Gen Z luxury consumers

    Tmall seeks to boost engagement with Chinese Gen Z luxury consumers

    High-end Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall Luxury has implemented new features to boost its brands’ appeal for Gen Z consumers in the region.

    The three new features include a daily live streaming service on luxury topics, a content-rich magazine channel featuring fashion news, and an upgraded membership program offering personalized services. The features are a response to the strong spending power for luxury items exhibited by consumers within the Gen Z age group, spending on average US$3600 annually on high-end goods.

    Data collected by Tmall Luxury shows that four-fifths of its user base are below the age of 35, with the number of luxury consumers aged 18–25 age group more than doubling between July 2018 and June last year. The emerging consumer dynamic has attracted top brands in the category such as Valentino and Balenciaga to collaborate with the platform.

    “By providing Tmall’s unparalleled analytics and insights on luxury consumption in China, we empower luxury brands with a deeper and more accurate understanding of local consumer preferences,” said Alibaba VP and GM of Tmall luxury, fashion and FMCG Mike Hu. “These insights allow luxury brands to precisely tailor their communications to Chinese young audiences while staying true to their brand identities.”

    Almost 200 brands have opened flagship stores on the Tmall Luxury platform.

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  • Tmall seeks to boost engagement with Chinese Gen Z luxury consumers

    Tmall seeks to boost engagement with Chinese Gen Z luxury consumers

    High-end Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall Luxury has implemented new features to boost its brands’ appeal for Gen Z consumers in the region.

    The three new features include a daily live streaming service on luxury topics, a content-rich magazine channel featuring fashion news, and an upgraded membership program offering personalized services. The features are a response to the strong spending power for luxury items exhibited by consumers within the Gen Z age group, spending on average US$3600 annually on high-end goods.

    Data collected by Tmall Luxury shows that four-fifths of its user base are below the age of 35, with the number of luxury consumers aged 18–25 age group more than doubling between July 2018 and June last year. The emerging consumer dynamic has attracted top brands in the category such as Valentino and Balenciaga to collaborate with the platform.

    “By providing Tmall’s unparalleled analytics and insights on luxury consumption in China, we empower luxury brands with a deeper and more accurate understanding of local consumer preferences,” said Alibaba VP and GM of Tmall luxury, fashion, and FMCG Mike Hu. “These insights allow luxury brands to precisely tailor their communications to Chinese young audiences while staying true to their brand identities.”

    Almost 200 brands have opened flagship stores on the Tmall Luxury platform.

  • Victoria Beckham Beauty range launched on Tmall Global

    Victoria Beckham Beauty range launched on Tmall Global

    Victoria Beckham Beauty has launched a flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform, marking the brand’s debut in China.

    The Victoria Beckham Beauty online store features a wide range of skincare and makeup products, including the brand’s exclusive skincare line Power Glow Set, on Tmall Global platform.

    To celebrate the launch, the brand has signed up one of China’s biggest influencers, Viya, to Livestream on Tmall Global.

    “You can’t be a successful global brand without a solid China business – it’s just not possible these days,” said Sarah Creal, co-founder and CEO of Victoria Beckham Beauty. “So when we began to think about expanding to China, we knew that we wanted to partner with Tmall Global because it represents the best.

    “We’re focused on building a strategic luxury beauty brand that is very modern, forward-thinking and fresh, and this is the next key step to our growth strategy,” she said

    Sarah met Victoria Beckham during a makeup collaboration with Estee Lauder in 2016 and teamed up to create the cosmetics brand last year.

  • Sephora launched Tmall flagship store in China

    Sephora launched Tmall flagship store in China

    Sephora China has launched a flagship store on Alibaba’s B2C platform Tmall Global.

    The Sephora Tmall Global flagship features a selection of beauty brands including Fenty, perfume house Bon Parfumeur, and skincare brands like Farmacy and Dermalogica. The cross-border store also introduced a series of beauty lines’ China debut such as Natasha Denona and Sunday Riley.

    As part of the launch, the beauty retailer unveiled its first showroom presenting cross-border beauty products with “cloud shelves” in a physical Sephora store.

    “Through the synergy of online and offline channels, consumers can access overseas brands to fulfill their emerging and evolving needs,” said Benjamin Vuchot, president of Sephora Asia. “This initiative is very special to us, as we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Sephora China this year.

    “The opening of the Sephora Tmall Global flagship store offers a great opportunity for Sephora to continue reinforcing its commitment to the China market, by catering to the Chinese consumer’s ever-changing trends and evolving needs to enhance their beauty power,” Vuchot said.

    The Sephora Tmall Global flagship houses 600 products from 25 overseas beauty brands in the country.

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  • Ikea online E-commerce store opens on Tmall

    Ikea online E-commerce store opens on Tmall

    Ikea has launched a flagship store on Alibaba’s marketplace Tmall, the first third-party platform the brand has partnered within Asia, and after leaving Amazon last year.

    Initially, with a six-month trial across the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, and the city of Shanghai, the Ikea online flagship store features more than 3600 products.

    “At Ikea, we are very proud of our [physical] stores, but we are always eager to learn how to improve our service,” said Jon Abrahamsson Ring, MD of Inter Ikea Systems BV. “We are happy about this collaboration with Alibaba. I’m convinced that we will learn a lot and develop even better ways to meet our customers.”

    The launch of the Ikea online store on Tmall is part of the brand’s strategy to broaden the ways it reaches Chinese customers, making the brand more accessible.

    The coronavirus outbreak had no influence on the timing of the Tmall launch, an Ikea spokesperson confirmed.

    Ikea shut half of its 30 stores in China earlier this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Recently, Ikea China is slowly returning to its normal business as the brand is reopening some of its stores across the country.

  • Tmall Global offers relief package to merchants worldwide

    Tmall Global offers relief package to merchants worldwide

    Alibaba’s B2C platform Tmall Global is offering support to its merchants during the coronavirus epidemic, including waiving services fees.

    The firm’s annual service fee for the first half of 2020 will be waived for all Tmall Global merchants on board before this coming July. It will also provide its shop setup tool Winpool Smart Edition to all its merchants free of charge.

    “It has always been Alibaba’s mission to make it easy to do business anywhere, and now it’s the time to commit,” said Tmall import and export GM Alvin Liu. “Tmall Global will stand firmly with merchants from all over the world, supporting them and uniting as one to overcome challenges and difficulties at this special moment.”

    Along with the fee waivers, Tmall Global will reduce or exempt warehouse rent and logistics costs. lower the threshold for merchants’ automatic settlement obligations, reduce agency service fees, provide low-interest loans to merchants, and optimize its rules and regulations to allow more flexibility.

    Tmall Global’s move follows the rollout of 20 measures by Alibaba Group and subsidiary Ant Financial to support Chinese SMEs during the outbreak.

  • Kenzo opens on Tmall Luxury Pavilion

    Kenzo opens on Tmall Luxury Pavilion

    Luxury fashion brand Kenzo has launched a flagship store on Tmall Luxury Pavilion, marking the brand’s first partnership in China with an e-commerce provider.

    This also makes Kenzo the first LVMH-owned fashion label to open a standalone store on Alibaba Group’s dedicated platform for luxury and premium brands.

    Kenzo’s flagship store features items from its ready-to-wear, footwear, bags and accessories collections. The brand also launched its kung fu-inspired Chinese New Year capsule collection on the Pavilion, featuring Kenzo’s Kung Fu Rat character, a nod to the zodiac animal of the new lunar year.

    Two items from the new capsule,  a red cap and a zipped card case, also made their global debut on the Pavilion.

    To engage young shoppers, the brand also released a Kung Fu Rat-themed animation and interactive racing game inspired by 1950s comics and martial-arts movies from the 1970s. Pavilion users can play the game, featuring Kung Fu Rat and his Chinese-zodiac companions in a race across a hand-painted landscape, to win special perks and benefits.

    As part of the launch, Kenzo is also offering some of its first Pavilion customers special-edition boxes for purchases as well as interest-free, flexible payment options via Ant Financial’s consumer-lending service, Huabei.

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  • Cartier flagship opens on Tmall Luxury Pavilion

    Cartier flagship opens on Tmall Luxury Pavilion

    Cartier flagship has opened on Alibaba’s premium Tmall Luxury Pavilion, becoming the first Richemont-owned business to launch a standalone boutique on the site.

    “The Tmall Flagship boutique marks a milestone within the Maison’s longstanding presence in China, reflecting the inheritance of the pioneering spirit embedded in the Maison’s DNA,” said Cyrille Vigneron, president and CEO at Cartier International.

    He said the Cartier flagship’s launch will provide significant opportunities for the brand to embrace China’s fast-moving retail environment in order to further strengthen its commitment to Chinese clients, given the increasingly complex e-commerce landscape of the market.

    Besides a wide collection of jewelry, timepieces, and accessories, the Cartier flagship on Tmall features the global debut of two exclusive collections: the Juste un Clou small model bracelet with diamonds and the Guirlande chain wallet bag.

    The brand offers special services including red box engravings and door-to-door Cartier Bellboy delivery services for the first 288 clients.

    To celebrate the launch, Cartier Tmall has created a hashtag #Let’s Cartier on Weibo and unveiled its grand opening ceremony this February with Tmall Super Brand Day.

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