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French luxury jewelry brand Chaumet is cutting the ribbon on a flagship store on Alibaba Group’s business-to-consumer marketplace Tmall, part of its drive to reach Chinese consumers.
Headquartered in Paris’ hallowed Place Vendome, Chaumet is known for luxurious creations ranging from diamond earrings and gem-encrusted necklaces to gold bangles and sparkling engagement rings.
LVMH-owned Chaumet will officially open its digital store on Tmall’s dedicated venue for high-end brands, Tmall Luxury Pavilion, on Jan. 16, complementing its network of 17 brick-and-mortar stores nationwide.
“We believe this partnership will provide a more enriching and premium online shopping experience and further cater to the high-quality expectations of Chinese customers, especially the young generation,” Chaumet’s CEO Charles Leung said in a statement.
Joining Tmall is one of Leung’s first acts after returning to lead Chaumet after a five-year absence. Leung had been at the helm of sister LVMH jewelry brand Fred, which has also opened an official store Tmall.
Chaumet’s presence on Tmall will help it stand out in China’s vast luxury market, which is set to reach RMB816 billion ($115 billion) in value by 2025, consultancy PwC predicted last year.
“China’s luxury consumption continues to attract global attention, and the influence of online digitalization upon high-end consumption is growing stronger,” said Tmall President Bo Liu in a statement.
LVMH Reunion
Chaumet is one of the last LVMH brands to launch on Tmall. Sister brands French luxury menswear brand Berluti and Italian jeweler Bulgari launched on Tmall in 2022. Chaumet’s Tmall store is its first on a third-party platform in China.
Beyond the LVMH stable of brands, Chaumet is part of a broader trend of French designers leveraging Alibaba e-commerce platforms to reach China’s digital-first consumer market.
In August, France’s Courrèges – which defined Swinging Sixties style with short hemlines and white vinyl creations – opened a Tmall store.
The pioneering fashion company joined the likes of Paris-based diamond jeweler Messika. The brand, worn by the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna, unveiled a storefront on Tmall Luxury Pavilion in the autumn of 2022.
“No doubt, Tmall Luxury Pavilion’s unique fine digital operation capability will help brands seize key development opportunities in the digital era,” Janet Wang, who heads up the platform, also noted.
Making an Entrance
To mark its launch on Tmall, Chaumet’s flagship store will host the global launch of a rose gold pendant adorned with 12 pink sapphires and engraved in a honeycomb pattern. Consumers will have exclusive access to the necklace in China via the digital store.
The 244-year-old jewelry brand journeyed back to its early days with the bee motif, which was a symbol of imperial power and good luck during the Napoleonic era, according to Chaumet.
To sweeten the deal for its new audience, Chaumet will also roll out a membership program on the platform.
Exclusive privileges include free personalized engraving, one-on-one customer service, and a customized jewelry pouch upon reaching a cumulative spending threshold, according to the company.
“It seems that jewelry brands are not wanting to miss the opportunity of new customer acquisition that platforms such as Tmall offer,” said Thomas Piachaud, a luxury strategy consultant. “Jewelry has been one of the categories that has shown stronger resilience during the changes seen in 2023 in the China market.”
