Marie Claire Australia launches WeChat app to target Chinese consumers

Marie Claire Australia has launched an app on social media platform, WeChat, to better target Chinese consumers.

As part of its strategy to target the affluent Chinese luxury consumer and further extend its growing brand reach, Marie Claire Australia has launched a mini-app on the multi-purpose messaging and social media platform WeChat.Delivering local Australian luxury retail, travel, beauty and fashion information to Chinese consumers, the app has been built and launched in partnership with sister brand Marie Claire China which will help spearhead the strategy. Since soft launch on January 21, the mini-app has attracted an impressive 300,000 views. Content within the mini-app has also been created in partnership with Marie Claire China with the offering sitting within the Chinese publication’s existing presence on the WeChat platform equating to instant credibility, audience appeal and reach.

The Marie Claire China app has more than 700,000 followers, of which 65% intend to visit Australia in the coming months with a further 25% living in Australia. marie Claire China is promoting the mini- app in Shanghai and Beijing shopping malls, shared workspaces, cinemas, travel agents and via influencer amplification.

Luxury Italian brand Bulgari has partnered with Marie Claire for the initial rollout with the brand promoting its new Forever jewelry range in time for Chinese New Year through sponsorship of the mini-app with video content and editorial as well as directing consumers to Australian stores. Brand opportunities for clients include mini-app takeovers, native and branded in-app content, editorial integration, in-store activations as well as bespoke partnerships on the platform involving video and key opinion leaders.

Nicky Briger, the editor of Marie Claire, said: “We know that Chinese shoppers accounted for 32% of the global luxury spend in 2017 – and more than half were millennials. This initiative is an incredible opportunity for our partners to drive sales and meet their commercial objectives by accessing this highly sought-after audience.”

Gereurd Roberts, CEO of Pacific, said: “This initiative highlights not only how Pacific’s brands continue to find innovative ways to help our commercial partners reach new audiences, but the company’s ambition and drive to grow.“The Marie Claire WeChat mini-app is only one component of our wider strategy to reach Chinese luxury consumers, and there is more planned for the coming months.”

WeChat is China’s most popular messaging app with more than one billion followers and has fast become a strategic avenue for luxury brands looking to attract the lucrative Asian consumer.

Source: Pacific Magazines