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On October 24th, H&M officially announced its entry into Pinduoduo, becoming the first international fashion brand to land on this platform.
H&M stated that joining Pinduoduo is an important part of H&M’s continuous advancement of its omni-channel strategy. This strategic move not only further expands H&M’s retail footprint in China but also embodies the brand’s goal of “making fashion serve the public.” By joining this e-commerce platform, H&M will reach a broader consumer base and be able to quickly gather market feedback, which is crucial for continuously enriching its fashion-forward product range and maintaining brand relevance in the Chinese market. For Pinduoduo, introducing international fashion brands not only enriches the platform’s fashion category matrix but also brings more diverse fashion choices to users. This win-win cooperation model may become a new template for the localization of international brands.
For all brands, multi-channel layout in China tests not only financial strength but also supply chain flexibility and inventory management capabilities. With an annual revenue exceeding 150 billion RMB, H&M’s global supply network and standardized operating system provide strong support for simultaneously operating on multiple e-commerce platforms.
H&M disclosed that following Pinduoduo, the official flagship store of H&M on Douyin (TikTok) has also entered the testing phase. This comprehensive channel expansion reflects the resource advantage of international brands in the competition in the Chinese market, that is, while bearing higher channel costs, they can gain a larger market share through economies of scale.
Behind the push for cooperation between H&M and Pinduoduo is a key figure who took office in April 2023 as the President of H&M Group Retail Greater China, Saed El-Achkar.
In a critical period when a fast-fashion brand needs to redefine itself, Saed’s arrival has injected new vitality into H&M’s operations in China. With a background in the International Business Program at Harvard Business School, he possesses both an international perspective and deep knowledge of retail operations. This retail expert, who has been with the H&M Group for nearly 20 years, previously successfully led the H&M market in Russia.
In April 2023, at a time when H&M China urgently needed transformation, upon assuming the role of President of Greater China, Saed demonstrated a pragmatic style that aligns well with his retail background. He decisively drove the cooperation with Pinduoduo, breaking the traditional thinking of international fashion brands in channel selection, which is also a reflection of H&M’s accelerated reform in the Chinese market over the past year.
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