In the context of brands going overseas to make money, there are some Chinese fast fashion DTC brands that are launching a global offensive. Perhaps 99% of people in China have never heard of these brands, but they have created another world in cross-border e-commerce.
Let’s take a look at how these fast fashion brands seize the opportunity and sell well overseas.
1
Zaful
From Swimsuit The manufacturer has become a global fast fashion brand
ZAFUL was originally a self-operated clothing brand under Shenzhen Global Tesco and was established in 2014. At first, founder Wang Chengbin found that fashion brands in the swimwear industry were scarce, and consumers’ demand for swimwear was more for social activities, and a large number of consumers who repurchased swimwear had the need to frequently change swimwear. So he chose the swimwear category with low cost, high profit, and extremely high repurchase rate to enter the European and American markets.
By cooperating with internet celebrities, we build a fan base on social channels, and use celebrity videos and buyer shows to share daily updates to increase brand exposure and sales. The difference is that SHEIN has benefited from early social dividends, and the initial cost for Internet celebrities to bring goods for it was very low. Now, the smart celebrities know the “value of bringing goods”. Similarly, the asking price of a dress from Amway is getting higher and higher. High, which makes the cross-border Tong marketing costs remain high. In 2020, cross-border Tong advertising, business publicity, and promotion fees totaled 1.14 billion yuan.
After only 4 years of development, ZAFUL has been promoted to become the number one brand in China’s swimwear export category. It can be said that determining the swimwear market as the entry point for overseas expansion is the first step for ZAFUL’s success. As the ZAFUL swimwear category continues to expand, Wang Chengbin decided to expand his business and develop women’s fashion. At the same time, he also launched ultra-fast new product updates as a brand tool.
ZAFUL’s new products only take an average of 1-2 weeks from design to launch, achieving a short design cycle and fast updates, ensuring daily updates of 50-100 styles to provide users with styles. Rich and fashionable clothing selection.
In 2018, ZAFUL seized the live broadcast wave and started live broadcast marketing. It was also the first cross-border e-commerce platform to start live broadcast. It also created the live broadcast platform ZAFULlive. The model of live broadcast delivery has been started on the platform, external cooperation platform and social media live broadcast platform.
In May 2021, WPP and Google officially released the “BrandZ China’s Top 50 Global Brands in 2021” report. ZAFUL once again ranked 43rd on the list, and online fast fashion Ranked 2nd in the field, second only to SHEIN, it has achieved a brilliant record of being included in this list for four consecutive years.
2
Cupshe
DTC Swimwear The brand received over 100 million yuan in investment
When it comes to swimsuit DTC overseas brands, Cupshe has to be mentioned.
Cupshe, founded in 2015, is a leader in Chinese fashion brands going global. In the early days of its establishment, Cupshe did not have a main swimwear brand, and its products were numerous and miscellaneous. Until 2016, the brand began to transform, focusing on the swimsuit series. Founder Zhao Liming insisted on implementing the concept of “helping consumers feel confident and beautiful by wearing suitable swimsuits.”
“Zhao Liming said that in addition to demands for products and services, young people around the world have demands for fashion brands, and the deeper demands are for brand cultural identity. From China to the world There are very few excellent fashion brands. The development and growth of a brand requires all-round competitiveness and long-term accumulation. We will continue to work hard to organize outstanding talents and resources around the world to serve global customers, enhance brand value and brand cultural identity, and strive to To become the world’s leading fashionable and high-quality beachwear brand.”
Cupshe seized on the tiktok video craze and focused on promoting the confident side of women wearing swimsuits, through TikTok short videos strongly demonstrate brand values.
In 2019, Cupshe discovered the increase in the global obesity rate and began to enter the plus-size swimwear market. On the basis of the main swimsuit series, Cupshe continued to enrich the types of swimsuits, including men’s and children’s swimwear products. The line is also continuing to grow. At present, it has become the world’s largest cross-border e-commerce brand focusing on beach scenes.
It is reported that Jiayu Fund recently completed its exclusive investment in DTC swimwear brand Cupshe, with an investment amount of over 100 million yuan.
3
Ciber
Established a Received three rounds of financing this year?
Cider was founded in May 2020. The founder Wang Chen once served as the co-founder and COO of Yiersan. After leaving his job, he founded the fast fashion cross-border e-commerce brand Cider.
As a new brand that has just been established for one year, Cider has received three rounds of financing. The first round of financing was disclosed in September 2020, led by A16Z and IDG Capital, and followed by Dexun Investment, Fengrui Capital, and Chuxin Capital; at the end of 2020, it completed the Pre-A round of financing led by Heyu Capital.
In 2021, Cider completed a US$22 million Series A financing, jointly led by DST Global and Silicon Valley Investment Myth A16Z, with IDG Capital and Kuehne + Nagel Investments following the investment.
However, in addition to the recent explosion of cross-border e-commerce for clothing brands, the main reason for obtaining investment may be that founder Wang Chen has worked in KKR and IDG Capital.��Communication and connection with consumers. In turn, for consumers, contact with the brand will be limited to purchasing behavior, and will not leave a deep shopping impression and experience. As a result, it is difficult for brands to achieve user retention, which further means that it is difficult to achieve sustained growth. When industry dividends gradually recede and competition shifts from incremental to existing, if they want to achieve long-term sustainable development, how to drive growth from users and build brands to attract consumers has become a top priority for cross-border e-commerce companies. .
The purpose of building a brand is to build the ability to develop markets, occupy markets, and obtain profits. Only by relying on strong brand influence can we build obvious loyalty among consumer groups. It determines the customer’s preference for the brand, and more importantly, it determines the degree of customer attention and trust in the brand. This way, we can avoid falling into repeated price competition, avoid operating risks, and at the same time enjoy the value brought by the brand. On the other hand, as users’ own experience in cross-border online shopping increases, users’ recognition of brands is also constantly improving. Cross-border e-commerce has ushered in a critical turning point for brand-based development. </p
