PRESS RELEASE: Australian brand takes first step into Asian e-Commerce market

On 2 March, small Australian fashion company Buckle | 1922 went live on Asia’s leading online retailer ZALORA. Based in Singapore, the e-commerce company was established in 2012 by Rocket Internet and operates across the Asia pacific region in countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Currently, ZALORA hosts over 100 brands yet only a handful are Australian. Here at Buckle | 1922, we believe Australian-made products have considerable potential in the Asian online marketplace – an economy predicted by Google and Temasek to be worth more than US$240 billion by 2025.

Melissa Gibson, director and co-owner of Buckle | 1922 states, “Consumers in these markets are growing more aware of considered fashion, and value the Australian-made ethos.”

In a global era characterised by fast fashion, Buckle | 1922 stands out with its environmentally sustainable products that are lovingly handcrafted in our Sydney factory. This unique selling point provides Buckle | 1922 with its competitive edge, especially among a growing demographic of middle class consumers in South East Asia excited for the quality of Australian-made products.

By collaborating with ZALORA, Buckle | 1922 aims to reinforce our position in the online marketplace and significantly expand our distribution of Australian-made products. Online presence has already been established in Australia by ZALORA’s sister company The Iconic, and Forrester research predicts that one-fourth of global retail sales will take place online by 2022.

E-commerce has been one of the fastest growing sectors of Southeast Asia, generating US$11 billion in gross merchandise value in 2018. Online shopping portals like ZALORA are leading pioneers of this industry, with over 1.3 million monthly visitors in Singapore alone. Needless to say, innovative online marketing has been integral to ZALORA’s thriving success. The e-commerce platform prides itself on its effortless usability, adaptability to data-driven trends, as well as an average 380% Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) and 2.3% Click Through Rate (CTR).

Elias Pour, ZALORA’s Chief Marketing Officer, states that, “ZALORA is committed to be at the forefront of innovative solutions and harnessing real-time customer insights across marketing channels to respond to the changing demands of consumers. We hope to work closely with all our brand partners so they can grow alongside ZALORA.”

ZALORA will help tailor Buckle | 1922 marketing strategies to specific Southeast Asian cultures. Bumper sales for events such as Singles’ Day (or 11.11 day) originated in China but have become hugely popular throughout the region. While figures have slowed in China, ZALORA sales have doubled every year since 2014, when the online retailer started participating in 11.11. In fact, 2019 saw the tripling of 2017 site traffic and ordered items.

Therefore, by collaborating with ZALORA, Buckle | 1922 aims to strengthen their presence in the online marketplace and make quality Australian-made products available to a new customers in Southeast Asia. This is a new beginning and we hope you are excited as we are.

Buckle | 1922 products are now available in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong on https://www.zalora.sg/men/buckle/

References:

https://theaseanpost.com/article/e-commerce-set-dominate-region-2019

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2182389/how-fashion-portal-zalora-blossomed-cracking-southeast-asia

https://www.similarweb.com/website/zalora.sg

For further information, please contact:
Jenny Pang
Marketing Assistant
p 1800 282 553
p +61 2 9557 5688
f +61 2 9557 5677
e [email protected]