我好奇故我在

中國奢華品牌
China Luxury        
By Design: Luxury Brands in China
by Laura Fitch
May 18, 2009 issue

這一篇挺有趣的!

Luxury goods consumers in China rank third in the world behind the Americans and Japanese, spending an average of US$ 6.5 billion a year. While the financial crisis has convinced many in the US and Japan that they can do without that Fendi bag, similar decreases in consumption of luxury goods in China have yet to appear.
中國精品消費者於世界排名第三，僅次於美國與日本，每年平均消費65億美元。當金融危機使得美日許多消費者覺得沒有Fendi包包也可以過活，而在中國的精品消費現在才開始出現相似的消退。

Market research by Euromonitor shows 80 million Chinese migrating into the middle class bracket as of January 2007. By 2020, that number is expected to hit 700 million. White-collar urban residents earn upwards of US$ 12,500 a year. Though low by American standards, this income level in Mainland China means an employee can scrimp and save enough for a Gucci wallet, a Prada belt or a pair of Jimmy Choos.
根 據Euromonitor的市場研究有八千萬中國消費者在2007年一月晉身至中產階級。在2020，預計數字會達到七億。白領都會者一年賺超過美金 12,500。雖然對於美國的標準而言是低，在大陸的收入水平來說意味著一個員工為了一個Gucci包包、一個Prada腰帶，或一雙Jimmy Choo鞋子，需要相當地節省開支。

Luxury brands are working hard to secure themselves a piece of the world’s biggest consumer pie. Versace is investing more than US$ 56 million in increasing its presence in Asia, with a specific focus on China, and is slated to open 11 new stores across the region this year. The Italian fashion house gave its first fashion show in mainland China in Beijing’s Legation Quarter, the former residence of the American ambassador that has been turned into one of Beijing’s trendiest—and most expensive—venues.
奢華品牌需要相當努力來確保自己能擁有全世界的消費大餅中的一塊。Versace現在投資超過美金五千六百萬於增加其在亞洲市場的能見度，尤其是特別針對大 陸，並且預計今年在這個區域開11家新店。義大利時尚公司在大陸的北京Legation Quarter舉辦第一次的時裝秀，這個地點是前身美國大使館的住所，已經成為北京最時尚以及最昂貴的地點之一。

Last fall, MaxMara threw a party in Beijing’s trendy 798 art district, inviting more than 1,000 guests to sip champagne in a huge converted metal drum, while Fendi threw a four-day extravaganza on the Great Wall, creating a catwalk on a stretch of what used to be China’s defense against incoming barbarians.
上秋，MaxMara在北京的798藝術區開宴會，邀請超過千名以上的客人在一個巨大改造過的鐵桶內飲啜香檳；而Fendi在長城舉辦四天的盛會，在一段過去是中國抵禦外敵的長城上，創造一個伸展台。

But far and away the most successful brand is LVMH. Last year the company posted a 2 percent increase in profits, far above the industry standard for the same period. Most of this growth was attributed to the burgeoning China market.
但是最成功的品牌無疑是LVMH。去年此公司宣告利潤比同期的產業標準，成長了2%。最大的成長來源是歸因於發展快速的中國市場。

LVMH has done an excellent job of brand positioning, says Ben Cavender, senior analyst at China Market Research Group. It has succeeded in securing the particularly enviable position of gaining a following among the top percentage of China’s wealthy. As the financial crisis stretches on, LVMH customers in China still have money to spend.
大陸市調公司資深分析者Ben Cavender 指出：LVMH在品牌的定位已經作了很好的工作。它已經成功擄獲特別是令人羨豔的中國富有階級頂端客戶。當金融危機延伸，LVMH的大陸消費者仍有購買力。

LVMH’s brand imaging, which relies heavily on pushing its European heritage, is so successful that it has benefited other brands by proxy, says Paul French, one of the founders of Access Asia, a group dedicated to tracking regional consumer and marketing trends. “Everyone hangs on the coattails of Louis Vuitton’s brand imaging in China.”
「LVMH 的品牌形象大力倚賴於推廣其歐洲資產，是如此的成功所以其周遭的品牌都有受益到」，Access Asia 成立人之一Paul French指出此點。這個集團是致力於追蹤區域性的顧客以及行銷趨勢。「每個人都想抓住Louis Vuitton在大陸品牌形象的燕尾服效益。」

It also effectively reduced unit prices by moving production to China but keeping retail prices the same, he says.
他指出：「它將製作轉至大陸，但是仍保留相同的零售價，故有效地減少單位價格。」

Gucci is also enjoying a great amount of success in the Middle Kingdom, luring in first-time consumers with simple wallets and accessories. “They have made their products attainable,” Cavender says.
Gucci在大陸也享有一大成功，用簡單的包包以及配件吸引第一次購買的消費者。Cavender說：「他們已經讓他們的產品容易購買取得」。

China’s rich are still getting used to the power of their yuan, and they approach buying luxury brands with no small amount of trepidation, Cavender says. New consumers are unsure about buying extravagant luxury goods but still want to flaunt their wealth. “When Chinese buy, they are thinking, ‘how am I going to use this?’” Cavender explains.
Cavender說：「大陸富豪仍在習慣人民幣的購買力中，而且他們購買奢華品牌時沒有一絲的不安。新顧客雖然不確定買奢侈的精品，但是仍希望炫耀他們的財富。」「當中國人買東西時，他們想：我將要如何使用這個？」

As private enterprises, most luxury goods companies keep hard numbers about their own sales close to the chest. But—with the notable exception of Gucci, which ranks alongside Louis Vuitton as the most successful foreign luxury brand in China—some brands are having problems luring in the consumers they so desire.
身為私人企業，大部分的奢侈品牌公司，保密其銷售數字。但是除了Gucci在最成功的外國奢侈品牌排名中，與Louis Vuitton相當之外，有些品牌要吸引所想的客戶有困難。

A major obstacle to success is ignorance of the Chinese market and the varying tastes and consumption habits in different regions of the country. What constitutes fashion in Shanghai is very different from what the hip kids are wearing in Beijing.
一個邁向成功的主要障礙在於忽略了大陸市場，以及忽略在不同區域中多樣化的消費者品味以及習慣。在上海所構成的流行與北京最時髦的孩子所穿著的是非常的不同。

Retail strategy also faces a challenge. Taxes on luxury goods in Mainland China are high, with a 17.5 percent value-added tax, 10 percent consumption tax and an average 24 percent luxury tax slapped on high-end goods. As a result, just one-third of all luxury goods purchased by Chinese consumers are bought on the mainland.
零售策略也面零挑戰。精品的稅在大陸很高，約17.5%的加值稅、10%的消費稅，以及平均課徵24%的奢侈品稅。所以大陸消費者約有三分之一的奢侈品是在大陸購買的。

The majority of mainland luxury purchases come from China’s newly wealthy in second- and third-tier cities like Dalian, and these consumers regularly run into problems obtaining visas to travel outside the country. Because they can’t make a run to Hong Kong or Tokyo to pick up the latest fashions, they head to Beijing and Shanghai instead.
最主要的大陸奢侈品購買是來自於大陸新興第二級以及第三級的城市，譬如大連，而這些消費者要獲得簽證出國旅遊有問題。因為他們無法跑到香港或是東京挑選最新的時尚品，所以他們改前往北京以及上海。

Successful brands like LVMH recognize their mainland stores serve mostly as advertisements and invest in them accordingly.
成功的品牌像是LVMH讓把在大陸據點的店大部分當廣告看，並且相對應地投資這些店。

For big names, renting retail space is a piece of cake, French says. Most luxury brands pay next to nothing, as realtors are hungry for name brands to draw in crowds to any of the large number of new shopping complexes and malls popping up around the country. Ads are often also free, and since many brands have already moved production to China, logistics and storage costs are decreased.
French說：對於知名品牌，承租零售空間是小事一件。大部分的奢華品牌幾乎不用付什麼租金，因為房地產經紀人很渴求知名品牌，來吸引人潮至任何大型購物商圈，其大量在全國冒出。廣告通常也是免費，因為很多品牌已經轉移至大陸生產，所以運籌或是空儲成本也降低了。

However, some luxury brands in China are making a critical mistake at the consumer level: Many luxury goods purchasers simply don’t like to shop in Mainland China, Cavender says. “People don’t feel welcome in stores.”
然而，有些奢侈品牌在大陸在消費者部分，犯下了一個致命大錯：很多奢侈品購買者不喜歡在大陸購買，Cavender指出。「人們不覺得在這些店裡有受到歡迎。」

Though industry names are starting to deal with the problem, the high staff turnover rate on the mainland means that luxury goods staff are often woefully undertrained and uneducated about the brand.
雖然產業知名品牌已經著手開始處理這個問題，大陸高人員的流動率意味著對該品牌的訓練以及教育不夠。

Rags-to-riches Chinese may want to buy luxury clothes but are unsure of how to mix and match, Cavender says. Untrained sales staff can exacerbate the problem, resulting in a loss of customer confidence in the brand.
Cavender說：由窮致富的大陸人可能想要買奢侈衣服，但是不確定如何搭配。訓練不夠的業務代表可能更加深了這個問題，造成消費者對於該品牌的信心喪失。

Many brands also make the mistake of stocking shelves on the mainland with last season’s lineup, or even last year’s. Mainland China consumers are wary of this practice. “They’re getting the old stuff,” Cavender says. “They want the latest fashions.”
許多品牌也在大陸的陳列上犯下錯誤，鋪上上一季的產品線，或甚者是去年的。大陸的消費者非常警覺這個現象。Cavender說：「他們買到舊貨。」「他們想要最新的流行。」

Some brands have recognized this and are putting increased efforts into showing Chinese consumers that they are at the top of the priority list. Porsche, for example, recently released its first sedan in six decades, the flagship Panamera, in Shanghai. Mercedes followed suit, launching its four-door S65 AMG sedan there as well.
有些品牌體認此點並且更加努力讓大陸消費者知道他們是優先清單中的首位。譬如，Porsche最近在上海發表六十年來第一款四門轎車，旗艦車型Panamera。Mercedes跟隨著同樣的模式，也在那上市四門S65 AMG轎車。

According to French, image is key in China. Brands that wield advertisements emphasizing style and European heritage are likely to move ahead, regardless of the accuracy of the advertisement.
根據French，形象在大陸是關鍵。品牌使用廣告強調style以及歐洲資產，有可能可以向前邁進，不管廣告是否講的正確。

Ads that feature French seamstresses slaving over detailed stitching a la LMVH or public schoolboys frolicking with Kate Moss a la Burberry effectively obscure the reality that the product was put together with glue by a 17-year-old girl on a production line in Zhejiang province, he says.
廣告訴求法國女裁縫師仔細針縫成LMVH包包，或是公立學校學生模仿名模Kate Moss拿著Burberry，實際上掩蓋了一個事實：那就是這產品是由浙江省一個十七歲的女孩在生產線上所組裝膠黏成的。

“European labeling regulations are dead easy to get around,” French says. Meaning that though the majority of a luxury bag was assembled in China, if the idea or designs come from Europe, all that represents the Chinese effort is a small, barely noticeable Made In China tag stitched along an inseam.
French說：「歐洲很輕易地就可以取得。」也就是意味雖然大部分的奢侈包包是在大陸組裝的，如果這個點子或是設計來自歐洲，所以代表大陸的弩力是被縫入包包細縫旁，一個很小、不容易被注意到的Made In China標籤上。

So why do Chinese consumers continue to spend thousands of yuan on goods produced domestically?
所以為什麼大陸的消費者持續花數千人民幣於國內所製造的產品。

French explains that if someone buys into the idea that a particular good is luxurious, it’s very, very difficult to break them out of that impression.
French解釋如果消費者買單該物是高檔的想法，要使他們脫離這個想法是非常困難的。

“When you try and tell them differently, they just switch off,” he says. “It doesn’t register.”
他說：「當你試著並且告訴他們不一樣時，他們就是關掉，他們聽不進去。」