Net-A-Porter to launch same-day shipping in China
Net-a-Porter, which currently operates sister site Outnet in China, will be opening a distribution centre in Hong Kong this year. This will allow them to offer same-day shipping in Hong Kong, and reduce delivery times in the Asia-Pacific region - Australians can now receive next-day delivery. In addition, the site will be offered in Chinese-language, although will not offer payment in renminbi, Union Pay or cash-on-delivery. Most comparisons on this issue seem to be with department store heavy-weights which are offering RMB payment options including Neiman Marcus and Lane Crawford (which operates most of its stores in mainland China).
Asia-region customers already make up one third of Net-a-Porter's customer base, and with a personal shopping service offered in 22 languages and existing German and French sites, the company is an excellent example of a global multi-brand retailer. While luxury labels such as Gucci, Prada, have spectacular, meaningful presence in China already, it is nice to see a young growth company embrace the region in a similar fashion.
The New York Times wrote an excellent piece here.