E-commerce apparel companies are set to undergo a major reshuffle.

　　E-commerce apparel companies are set to undergo a major reshuffle.

　　The Fourth China Apparel E‑Commerce Summit was recently held in Shenzhen, bringing together more than 100 apparel e‑commerce companies, including Taobao Mall. With the aftereffects of the “Double 11” shopping festival still lingering, online apparel brands have gained a clearer understanding of the current challenges facing e‑commerce and the direction of its future development.

　　As e‑commerce’s reach expands rapidly, it has come to function as a distinct media platform. Beyond facilitating sales for manufacturers, e‑commerce also provides a new arena for brand building. Manufacturing brands that excel at marketing on the internet and across e‑commerce channels are poised to challenge traditional players, thereby reshaping the once‑stable landscape of brand dominance.

　　A New Model for Brand Building in the New Media Era

　　According to data from CNNIC, the number of online video users in China has reached 240 million. This indicates that, compared with traditional elite media such as newspapers and magazines, online media now boasts a relatively stable user base and is increasingly becoming a key platform for brand management, signaling the imminent arrival of a new era of media communication driven by digital channels.

　　As e‑commerce models continue to mature, online shopping is increasingly disrupting the business models of traditional retail.

　　Zhang Chuan, director of Taobao Mall, explained, “The current landscape of Taobao Mall’s soft‑goods category is characterized by an abundance of low‑end brands and very low price points, creating a pyramid in which the vast majority of merchants occupy the base.” He believes that on platform‑based e‑commerce marketplaces like Taobao, the sheer scale of traffic also, to a certain extent, presents opportunities for new brands to emerge.

　　Jin Guang, founder of the Taobao brand, stated that in the apparel e‑commerce sector, the next three to five years will see a collective surge of online brands on Taobao.

　　Compared with brands that take shape under traditional media conditions, in the information age, brand formation has become transparent. Consumers are no longer “branded” passively; instead, they assume the role of “corporate auditors” in the branding process. Every detail of a company’s products—whether through consumer experience or direct interaction—is magnified, and the intelligent recommendations, sales rankings, word-of-mouth testimonials, and evaluative feedback on various brands that emerge from this two-way exchange are all faithfully preserved online, serving as benchmarks for consumers’ product‑selection decisions. The cumulative depth of these “micro‑information” streams determines brand awareness, which is a crucial metric for gauging how well a brand is recognized by users—and may even prove to be a decisive factor in an enterprise’s rise or fall.

　　Zhong Tao, head of Qipilang’s e-commerce division, stated that a brand is a co‑created entity shaped by the company, its ecosystem, and consumers; accordingly, consumer word-of-mouth plays a pivotal role in both e‑commerce growth and brand building.

　　In the e‑commerce era, established brands must leverage their strengths while mitigating their weaknesses, and consumer attention toward brands has shifted. Particularly among audiences shaped by online communication, although traditional brands still command substantial brand equity, the decline in their relevance and appeal is an undeniable reality.

　　Xu Jin, head of e‑commerce at Li Ning, believes that as the e‑commerce market matures, it has evolved into a three‑way competitive landscape comprising platform‑based marketplaces, independent online brands, and established brand‑owned e‑commerce operations. Traditional leading brands are increasingly leveraging platform‑driven e‑commerce to expand their online presence. “For brand companies entering e‑commerce, four core capabilities are essential: cross‑channel integration; the ability to deliver a 360‑degree brand experience; rapid supply‑chain responsiveness; and the capacity to understand and meet customers’ personalized needs—supported by robust IT infrastructure,” Xu Jin said.

　　Liu Weiwen, deputy general manager of the JEANSWEST Group, also noted that building an e‑commerce platform is not a strength of traditional apparel brands; by leveraging mature third‑party platforms such as Taobao and Paipai, these brands can capitalize on their existing advantages while mitigating their weaknesses.

　　E-commerce and online shopping models play a dual role.

　　In fact, e‑commerce is more than just a sales channel—it is also a platform for brand building. As traffic grows, its media‑like qualities become increasingly pronounced, and the depth of “micro‑information” generated through cross‑interactions between consumers and businesses will largely determine a product’s awareness and popularity. Moreover, this accumulation of “micro‑information” transcends temporal constraints, faithfully documenting the brand’s evolution over time.

　　Zhang Chuan pointed out, “Analyzing data and using it to guide marketing is crucial, as it directly influences supply chain integration, marketing strategies, and marketing tools.”

　　E‑commerce’s dual role enables brands selling through online channels to achieve two objectives at once: they amplify brand awareness while driving rapid sales growth.

　　For established brands in the manufacturing sector, the e‑commerce era is a double-edged sword—offering both opportunities and threats. Shifts in the industry landscape are now inevitable, and securing a strong foothold in e‑commerce channels early on will enable companies to gain a competitive edge in the ensuing realignment and restructuring of the market.