Luxury brands spend a lot to please Chinese customers

Montblanc and Affinity China invested in inviting customers to a private concert with famous pianist Lang Lang

Burberry, the famous fashion brand from the UK, recently spent all money to invite one of their biggest customers from Shanghai to Beijing to `reveal` the `Private View` fashion exhibition.

Burberry wants to show its appreciation to customers in the most intimate way while still leaving a special mark, explained Jancu Koenig, marketing director of Burberry in Asia.

`We have created many conditions for our customers around the world, but this time only for customers in China. Personal experience is becoming increasingly important in this market,` he said.

Burberry is one of the luxury brands rolling out the red carpet to invite and retain major Chinese customers through tailor-made products, trips and one-on-one experiences with celebrities.

Another famous fashion brand, Christian Dior, plans to invite their best customers to the upcoming fall Paris fashion show.

Using these tricks to attract customers is actually not unusual in other countries around the world.

While China’s luxury consumer market as a whole is growing strongly, there are also a few products such as watches and jewelry that are seeing a slight decline.

Wang Ying, a 26-year-old fashion lover from Shanghai, has been a fan of Louis Vuitton and Gucci for several years.

`Not everyone wears these designers, which makes me feel more outstanding,` Ms. Wang said.

Even so, her familiar brands still regularly call to arrange private shopping trips and help choose clothes to match her purse and shoes.

`I always spend more when I have their help in choosing clothes,` she said, adding that every two months she spends about 20,000 yuan, equivalent to $3,150, on shopping.

Louis Vuitton invited ten of its most potential customers to Mongolia to take a helicopter ride and watch the Camel Bridge tournaments.

Louis Vuitton and their top customers in Mongolia

A representative of Louis Vuitton company said they will regularly organize events like this to give customers new experiences that they never thought of.

Last July, Louis Vuitton opened a four-story store with a private house just for VIPs, allowing them to design and customize their own leather bags and shoes.

In June, Giorgio Armani SpA Company announced the opening of 100 additional stores along with 289 currently operating stores in China.

`Luxury brands are asking themselves how they can make their customers feel as special as before,` said Max Magni, an analyst at consulting firm McKinsey & Co.’s in China.

This question is really important because China’s richest customers are the ones who are driving the consumption of this product.

Affinity China, a New York-based company, creates private shopping tours for China’s most high-end clientele with the aim of giving them a bespoke experience.

Chris Noble, co-founder of Affinity China, said he knows a lot of wealthy people who don’t like to shop when they’re with a large group of people, so he’s now starting to organize special events with smaller groups of 6 or more.

Tung Vu (according to Wall Street Journal)