Independent, edgy fashion brands may be emerging as popular picks for Chinese millennial shoppers abroad, but the big names are what came out on top in a recent WeChat survey conducted by the China i2i Group in Shanghai. Respondents aged between 18 and 39 years old named Dior, Prada, Gucci, and Coach as the most coveted brands during their overseas shopping trips.
While about 40 percent of those surveyed said they wanted to buy a Dior product on their next trip and 33 percent desired Prada, Hermès, Burberry, Chanel, Hugo Boss, and Tiffany were also ranked in the top 10, while Louis Vuitton dropped to the tenth spot after being number one in previous years. The survey was conducted with 11,500 Chinese travel shoppers over the China i2i Group’s nine online travel magazine platforms on WeChat, which have a total of 1.2 million followers.
"We see two big trends in global Chinese travel shopping,” China i2i CEO, Alexander Glos, said in a statement. “The rise of the millennial or as I call them in China—singletons, because they are choosing to enjoy life and delay marriage. Second, the willingness to explore with new brands, be unique and not a follower."
The survey also revealed that 94 percent of respondents use WeChat while shopping abroad, emphasizing the importance for international luxury brands to leverage WeChat’s geolocation services and CRM channels to target mainland Chinese consumers who are shopping while on vacation.
When it comes to how much money they spent on holiday shopping trips, 29 percent of respondents said they spend around US1,500, while 20 percent said they would spend up to almost US3,000.
France continues to be the top destination for the respondents’ itineraries, followed by Italy and Germany. Leading department stores in Paris have been taking note of the Chinese travel shopper rebound following a dip in visitors who were deterred by terrorist attacks in France and across Europe. Galeries Lafayette recently introduced a new package designed to cater to Chinese shoppers searching for a personalized and private experience away from other tour groups.