Theory: US fashion label Theory launches on Tmall, targets Chinese market

New York-based clothing label, Theory has opened its first online store in China on Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce marketplace.The fashion retailer launched its online store on Tmall Luxury Paviliion, a platform targeted at shoppers of high-end goods. The brand currently has 33 brick-and-mortar stores across 17 cities in China and expects to double this number in 3 years.The partnership will see Theory and Tmall will work closely to gain consumer insights, starting with providing the same bonus points, sales benefits and exclusive birthday perks to Theory's VIP loyalty club members, both online and offline.Tmall also provided the brand with marketing support, such as promoting its popular merino wool and cashmere clothing on Tmall Cashmere Category Day, an online-to-offline, multi-brand marketing event that ran from Sept. 24 to 26. "Tmall's partnership with Theory is a milestone in our continued market leadership in China as the premier B2C platform for fashion. We will empower Theory through our unparalleled data-driven consumer insight and New Retail technology to serve and discover fashion consumers across China, as well as build lasting relationship with customers," said Jessica Liu, president of Tmall Fashion and Luxury. "We will continue to roll out similar campaigns with Theory. At the same time, the brand has already merged its online and offline membership system to ensure the most complete set of rewards and services for its customers across all its online and offline channels," said Anita Lyu, vice president of Tmall Fashion.