German luxury e-commerce site MyTheresa quietly launched on JD.com last week.
No announcement was made by either MyTheresa or JD.com, but there is no surprise that MyTheresa is making a move in China with caution.
The company’s chief executive officer Michael Kliger said last year during the WWD CEO Summit that China is “a market where it is quickly developing on one hand, but on the other hand is challenging.”
“We’re really committing in earnest to this market, realizing it’s a marathon there, not a sprint,” he added.
Some 2,247 items from 49 brands, including Isabel Marant, The Row, Off-White, Ganni, Marine Serre, Thom Browne, Oscar de la Renta and David Koma, are listed on the site.
It appeared that MyTheresa’s pricing on JD.com, which includes duty and import fees, is slightly lower than China’s local pricing.
MyTheresa said on the JD.com page that all shipping will be dispatched from Europe and consumers are entitled to a 30-day free return policy.
According to industry sources, it’s understood that MyTheresa’s presence on JD.com at the moment only aims to test the water before making any big decision. No date for the official launch on JD.com has been set yet.
Since China’s crackdown on Alibaba for its monopolistic behaviors, a slew of luxury brands began to work with JD.com to expand their online reach in the country.
MyTheresa is the first major global luxury player to sell to China via JD.com’s platform since Farfetch switched to Alibaba’s Tmall in 2021. Net-a-porter also sells via Tmall in China.
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