Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s GM on protecting exclusivity online

Tmall Luxury Pavilion saw double-digit growth in total transactions, daily active users, and new customers in the third quarter of 2025. In May, it launched the “Red Cat” initiative (红猫计划) with Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), enabling Taobao and Tmall merchants to link content directly to their storefronts. The collaboration allows Xiaohongshu users to move seamlessly from inspiration to purchase while giving brands end-to-end visibility over campaign performance. For many luxury houses, this represents more than a channel shift — it validates the payoff of a patient, long-term digital strategy. So far, the partnership has enabled over 100 luxury brands to build efficient content-to-commerce pipelines, converting Xiaohongshu’s discovery traffic into Tmall sales. In September, the company also revealed that it is developing an AI agent for luxury brands, designed to enhance digital service experiences and operational precision. Looking ahead, Tmall Luxury Pavilion plans to explore new lifestyle categories, particularly travel and hospitality. The goal is not only to reach premium audiences, such as frequent travelers and hotel members, but also to elevate luxury retail from a transactional engagement to a holistic lifestyle experience. Together, these layered approaches — across operations, content, and ecosystem design — underpin Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s resilience. In this edition of C-Suite Visionaries, Jing Daily sat down with Anny Liu, General Manager of Tmall Luxury Pavilion, to explore how these efforts drive its success. Jing Daily: In the e-commerce space, how do you strike a balance between exclusivity and accessibility in luxury? Anny Liu: The key lies in defining the right audience and product hierarchy. We often say that bestsellers bring in new customers, while rare pieces speak to loyal ones. This isn’t unique to luxury — it’s a universal market principle. A consumer must first develop brand awareness before finding their own sense of belonging and value within different product tiers. The meaning of exclusivity also shifts across cities and demographics. For fashion-forward consumers in tier-one cities, brands like Balenciaga or Maison Margiela represent individuality and avant-garde taste. But in lower-tier cities, an entry-level luxury bag or pair of shoes can symbolize upward mobility and refinement. Within their local social context, these consumers are the aspirers, redefining what luxury means to them. So the challenge for luxury brands in China isn’t about whether they remain rare — it’s about how that uniqueness can be perceived differently. Brands must learn to translate emotion and culture into multiple product languages so that every consumer can access a version of luxury that feels personal and authentic. JD: How do you approach service standards for VIP or high-net-worth clients? AL: We’ve developed a service system tailored to luxury expectations. Unlike mass-market shoppers, luxury clients seek a more customized and private experience. Internally, we benchmark our standards against top offline retailers, offering tiered membership privileges, such as early access to new collections, invitations to limited releases, and entry to exclusive offline events. At the same time, we’ve noticed a shift: high-net-worth clients are moving away from traditional social gatherings and gravitating toward experiential activities — sports, cultural exploration, outdoor pursuits. For example, our new “The Key” program extends beyond Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s own VIC community to reach Alibaba’s top-tier members — Black and Diamond users — helping brands connect more precisely with potential clients. The results have been encouraging. When we invited 20 users to Vacheron Constantin’s Nanjing West Road flagship for a bespoke “Crystal Energy” watch experience, both consumer and brand feedback were overwhelmingly positive, with several users showing strong purchase intent — a rare outcome for a brand of this price level. JD: How does Tmall Luxury Pavilion leverage social media, livestreaming, and short videos to support luxury sales? Which formats work best? AL: We’ve made significant strides in this area. Beyond our content partnership with Xiaohongshu, livestreaming has been a major focus this year. In e-commerce, livestreaming generally falls into two categories: influencer-led and brand-led. For luxury brands, product volumes are limited and standards are high. Brand-run livestreams often strengthen brand equity, while influencer streams can struggle to convey a brand’s deeper narrative. That’s why we created our own Tmall Luxury Select Live Channel, a curated livestream platform designed to tell brand stories while hosting themed sessions. Each broadcast is treated with precision and care. We don’t aim for frequency — typically once a week, increasing to two or three during major events like 6.18 or Double 11. For Double 11, we collaborated with KOLs such as Mr. Bags and Zhou Xiaocheng, ensuring that content stayed refined and the experience felt truly elevated. JD: How do luxury e-commerce platforms balance discounting with maintaining brand exclusivity? AL: Most luxury brands have already reached a shared understanding on pricing. Online and offline prices can’t be entirely disconnected, but they shouldn’t be identical either. Brands rarely discount, no matter the channel, because it risks eroding scarcity and brand equity. Yet, it’s also true that consumers today follow increasingly diverse purchasing paths. Brands need flexible differentiation strategies to navigate beyond a fixed “one-price” model, using channel distinction to control both pricing and the rhythm of marketing. I often tell brands that differentiation doesn’t always have to be about price — it can come from details like colorways, sizing, or packaging. Even a single exclusive color or limited edition can create a lasting memory. For this year’s Double 11, thousands of new luxury products launched on Tmall, including platform exclusives, China-only releases, and major collaborations. Moncler revived its Maire and Maya collections with new brown, green, and beige shades debuting online; Bogner introduced China-exclusive ski sets; and watchmakers like Hublot and Chopard unveiled models available only on Tmall. JD: What does this year’s Double 11 mean for luxury brands? How has the response been from brands and consumers? AL: Double 11 has evolved into far more than a sales event — it’s a shared ritual, a moment of creativity and connection for brands, platforms, and consumers alike. For luxury brands, it has become a stage for experience, innovation, and storytelling rather than just promotions. Since the launch of this year’s Double 11 campaign through October 27, Tmall Luxury Pavilion has seen overall double-digit growth, with brands like Balenciaga, Burberry, Canada Goose, Coach, Miu Miu, Maison Margiela, Max Mara, Moncler, and Ralph Lauren achieving high double-digit increases. More and more brands have reported fewer canceled orders and returns. Beyond the exciting sales figures, we hope to use each major promotion as a training ground to explore, together with brands, a healthy and sustainable path for the industry while passing on confidence in growth.

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Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s GM on protecting exclusivity online