Chinese play growing part in online shopping

Luxury fashion brand Oscar de la Renta has recently joined Alipay ePass. Seattle-based jewelry retailer Blue Nile also has joined Tmall.

"For many years, Black Friday was a US-focused shopping event. Last year, we saw increased interest from customers in other parts of the world," said Jon Sainsbury, president of international for Blue Nile.

"This year, we anticipate further globalization of Black Friday and customers shopping Blue Nile from around the world, especially from China," he said.

Smaller and younger fashion boutiques also have their eyes on China. British designer brand Charlotte Olympia discovered last year that Chinese customers love the products, said Bruno Oghittu, e-commerce director.

For Black Friday, the brand created a free-shipping promotional code specifically for China, posted on Dealmoon, a popular deal site with the Chinese consumers.

"There are a few classic styles that are really popular," said Bruno. "But Chinese girls are definitely some fashionistas. They also love fashion styles a little bit 'crazy'."

To serve its customers better during the holiday season, Ashford now has 25 customer service representatives who speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

"Chinese customers want to be treated respectfully when they are making a high-end purchase," Hoch said. "They want to have a person to talk to."

hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com