Beats Other Leading Labels For 'Most Sought-After' Title#
According to a study based on internet search results released yesterday by Digital Luxury Group, Chanel has overtaken Louis Vuitton as the most digitally "sought-after" fashion brand in China. There are many factors that could have caused this ascension—Chanel, for example, is taking a measured approach to China expansion in order to remain exclusive, while Louis Vuitton has faced the possibility of having become too overexposed. One notable point to observe, however, is that several factors surrounding the label's success point to the growing purchasing power of women as a major correlation.
First of all, Chanel's line of beauty products was considered to be a major factor in its popularity in China. According to Digital Luxury Group Founder and CEO David Sadigh, beauty gave it an edge over second-place Louis Vuitton. “Chanel is benefiting from an important level of interest in China, mostly emanating from strong interest from Chinese consumers in its Beauty products, which Louis Vuitton does not have,” he wrote in the report. Estée Lauder, the report's top beauty brand, came in right after Chanel on the total list of the top 50 brands across all luxury sectors. As you can see from the list below, Chanel came in third overall, behind Audi and BMW.
Meanwhile, Chanel's rank also coincides with affluent Chinese women's answers to a survey taken for a January study by the Hurun Report. According to the report, the label was the the overall number one gifting brand for China's affluent women, but only came in fourth for men. Louis Vuitton had ranked first among men, but only second for women.
While some high-end brands such as Dior have been promoting menswear in China, where, for many labels, men take up a higher share of luxury fashion purchases, Chanel's marketing efforts have been heavily female-focused. This was seen most recently in the label's Little Black Jacket exhibition that opened last week in Beijing and Shanghai, featuring a wide number of top international actresses and models wearing the piece.
There are a multitude of other factors that could have also had an influence on these results. The report cites several issues affecting digital desirability in China, including recognizable Chinese-language brand and product names, a strong internet and social media presence, and the popularity of the label's leather goods and jewelry lines. The numerous elements of the Chinese market that may be driving a brand's popularity certainly make the country a complicated marketing environment for foreign brands, but the rewards are high when a label gets it right.