On July 6, 2016, ISPO Shanghai was grandly held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. As the summer edition of ISPO — the world’s largest sports exhibition — in China, it upheld the core concept of further deepening "Outdoor+" and presented to outdoor enthusiasts the true "crossover and integration" of outdoor sports, as well as the shared vision of building a "sports lifestyle." One of the highlights of this cross-industry collaboration appeared at a press conference on July 7 at 2 PM, where the leading outdoor brand GORE-TEX® announced a deep partnership with TMALL and officially formed the “GORE-TEX®|TMALL Outdoor Alliance.” The initiative aims to create a GORE-TEX® outdoor alliance that is both professional and experiential through TMALL, a highly influential e-commerce platform in China. The announcement drew widespread attention, with 50 media outlets, numerous key figures from the outdoor industry, and hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts bearing witness to this historic moment.
A Power Collaboration to Create the Most Professional Outdoor Channel on China’s E-commerce Platforms
With the rapid development of internet e-commerce, the landscape of outdoor retail channels in the Chinese market is continuously evolving. The GORE-TEX® brand has always paid close attention to channel development and values collaborating with clients to support the healthy growth of its e-commerce business. During the 2015 Double Eleven shopping festival, the GORE-TEX® brand partnered with nine international brands to collaborate with TMALL’s outdoor channel; in 2016, the GORE-TEX® brand joined six outdoor brands to launch the GORE-TEX® SURROUND® technology products on TMALL. Through past collaborations, the brand and the platform have built a high level of trust and a close working relationship. Given the strong alignment in strategic development between the GORE-TEX® brand and TMALL Sports & Outdoor, the two parties decided to join forces to create the most professional outdoor channel on China’s e-commerce platforms. Leveraging this platform, they aim to provide Chinese outdoor enthusiasts with diverse forms of outdoor education and experience opportunities, comprehensively enhancing the quality of China’s outdoor community. The GORE-TEX® brand will also integrate its extensive outdoor industry resources to work with TMALL in promoting new marketing models for outdoor experience and service-oriented products, creating new consumer demands for TMALL’s outdoor shoppers.
Launching the Outdoor “3D” Era
At the press conference, Ms. Hou Yunhui, Greater China Marketing Director of GORE-TEX® Textiles, shared insights on the brand and its development in China’s outdoor market, outlining the strengths of both alliance partners. She reviewed the collaboration history with TMALL and pointed out the ultimate goal of the outdoor alliance — to deliver a one-stop outdoor lifestyle experience to consumers. When the words “openness, professionalism, and integration” appeared on the big screen, the event entered its pivotal moment. The characteristics of the alliance platform and its development plans were unveiled through the interpretation of these three keywords. Platform openness reduces the emphasis on single-brand labels and attributes, with a multi-brand matrix driving consumption upgrades and integrating online and offline experiences to enhance consumer satisfaction; platform professionalism offers expert outdoor knowledge content, features authoritative outdoor personalities, and deepens collaboration with outdoor industry brands; platform integration will introduce partners from across the industry chain to jointly enrich the ecosystem, create comprehensive outdoor experiences through virtual service offerings, and provide seamless one-stop outdoor experiences. Ms. Hou also shared new directions in GORE-TEX® brand marketing: “In addition, we will increase interactions with celebrities and influencers, leveraging their reach to engage a wider audience in outdoor activities. We will also focus on strengthening our influence among elite groups. In March this year, we officially established the GORE-TEX® Business Schools Outdoor Activity Alliance in collaboration with seven top Chinese business schools, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and CEIBS. Together with the outdoor clubs of these institutions, we are organizing a series of events to promote a positive outdoor philosophy and lifestyle among elite groups. Numerous project resources will be integrated on the outdoor alliance website to serve end consumers.”
The press conference reached its climax during the final launch ceremony. Ms. Hou Yunhui, Greater China Marketing Director of GORE-TEX®, and Mr. Di An, head of TMALL Sports & Outdoor, turned the ceremonial key, causing the outdoor gift pack on stage to rise slowly. The “GORE-TEX®|TMALL Outdoor Alliance” was officially launched, marking a joint gift from both parties to China’s outdoor sports enthusiasts, achieved through their collective efforts.
Building a One-Stop Outdoor Lifestyle Experience Platform
This “power collaboration” has opened up new fields and models for the development of the outdoor industry, bringing outdoor sports closer to a broader audience of enthusiasts. During ISPO, Gore made its first attempt to integrate outdoor resources by launching a series of activities on the TMALL online platform: GORE-TEX® led numerous high-end outdoor brands to offer a more professional and diverse range of outdoor products, providing consumers with a new experience in both products and services; it partnered with outdoor training institutions and activity organizers to offer opportunities for participation in outdoor experiences and training; and it engaged outdoor industry leaders and seasoned experts to share outdoor experiences and impart outdoor knowledge. Examples include the “Gore Outdoor Camp Experience” and “Gore Outdoor Enrichment Classes,” which provide hands-on opportunities for those with outdoor aspirations. The outdoor alliance also serves as a primary traffic landing platform for GORE-TEX® brand marketing. Advertisements in various formats — from print and online to outdoor and video — all direct users to a common landing page. These traffic flows stimulate consumers’ interest in outdoor activities, allow them to experience the qualities of outdoor products firsthand, and effectively boost sales conversion rates. TMALL has also provided strong support for the launch of the alliance, offering numerous premium resources during the rollout. These activities are seamlessly integrated on the outdoor alliance platform, painting a vision of the GORE-TEX®|TMALL Outdoor Alliance delivering a one-stop outdoor lifestyle experience.
Through this collaboration with TMALL, the GORE-TEX® brand is actively building the most professional outdoor channel on China’s e-commerce platforms. With the brand’s expertise and industry influence, combined with the vast reach of TMALL, it is bound to spark an outdoor wave in the e-commerce space. We look forward to the GORE-TEX®|TMALL Outdoor Alliance bringing even more exciting experiences to consumers in the future.