Gilt Groupe Plans For International Expansion, Starting With China

Despite the decline in sales from flash sites over the past year, coupled with the recent closure of Vente Privée’s American Express-backed U.S. site, Gilt Groupe remains afloat. This year, they plan to charge forward with further international expansion. First up: the Chinese market. The developing economy is home to a burgeoning middle class, and their Gilt’s expansion tactics include paying close attention to the customer’s experience. This involves tailoring marketing materials to the Chinese shopper, as well as offering up seasonal merchandise to meet demand. For example, the average Hong Kong customer has a preference for designer apparel and fine jewelry, while those in mainland China have a preference for shoes, bags, and vintage goods. Gilt is also focused on minimizing shipping cost and time, even introducing the option for vendors to send out orders directly to the consumer. Since many foreign markets rely so heavily on purchasing via smartphone, Gilt plans to fine-tune their mobile app to attract more customers. What comes after China? The company may look into expansion in the likes of Dubai, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. The company currently ship to 120 countries, and their largest customer bases outside the United States can be found in Canada, Korea, Australia, and Japan.