Dress for success

China is now the world’s largest apparel market. Despite the slowdown of the economy, apparel retail in China remains one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Domestic players have traditionally dominated the market, however, the market is undergoing a transformation as the urban middle class grows to prominence. Foreign apparel brands may benefit from such transformation as Chinese consumers are becoming more sophisticated, starting to place more importance on quality and design, while price is no longer their top priority. Thanks to overseas travel and media exposure, consumer awareness of foreign apparel brands is now higher than ever.

However, since a massive number of international brands have been flooding in, Chinese consumers are now facing many more options and becoming more selective. Moreover, rapid growth of online retailing (especially cross-border e-commerce) is changing how consumers shop and complicating offline store economics. OC&C shares its insights into how an international apparel brand can succeed in China from its 2016 Apparel Proposition Index Survey.