Alibaba's APASS Club serves as the e-commerce firm's "invite-only membership program for Chinese luxury consumers." (Photo : Getty Images)
Seven lucky Chinese high-value customers of the Alibaba Passport (APASS) Club are taking part in an Australian luxury tour as the e-commerce giant aims to provide a platform for Australian luxury brands to get linked with well-off Chinese consumers, JingDaily.com reported.
The trip, which coincides with the ongoing "Australia-China Year of Tourism," will be partially streamed on popular social media sites such as Youku and Weibo. It also eyes to promote Australia's premier products and lifestyle to China's lucrative market.
The seven Chinese customers invited for this tour were chosen because of their annual spending of $35,000 across Alibaba's platforms.
For this ongoing tour, top-notch Australian brands have expressed support. These include Macka's Beef, winemaker Brown Brothers and Sanitriusm, among others.
"This tour is an opportunity to showcase Australia's world-class lifestyle, our strongest asset in China. Chinese shoppers are very interested in what celebrities and influencers are buying, what they are doing, what they are eating, and what they wear.
"People also want to try new brands, and have someone they know recommend it to them. This is part of a broader desire for lifestyle changes in China, which Australia can be at the heart of," Maggie Zhou, managing director of Alibaba Australia and New Zealand, shared in a press release.
The trip for the APASS members comes after Alibaba unveiled its first Australian office in February.
APASS Club serves as Alibaba's "invite-only membership program for Chinese luxury consumers."
Since its launch around three years ago, the elite organization has already attracted over 100,000 members, which has transformed to become vital marketing sources for the company.
Alibaba continuously offers various benefits such as customized services and exclusive gifts or trips to retain the loyalty of APASS members.
The said luxury tour to Australia was not the first time that Alibaba has offered such kind of trip to members of APASS Club.
In September last year, the firm chose 10 Chinese to join a nine-day luxury tour to Italy. The trip, which was also live streamed on Chinese social media platforms, included a visit at a Maserati factory and La Perla store, and a vineyard tour at the Mezzacorona.
In December, another seven APASS members were able to visit France and toured in different luxury brand stores such as Clarins, Guerlain and Louis Vuitton.
