IADS Exclusive: how Tmall fosters a new approach towards ultra-personalisation in luxury

Last May, LVMH signed a deal with Alibaba, cementing the luxury group’s omnichannel, data and digital capabilities. Through this agreement, LVMH will access Alibaba’s technology and investments, especially in AI capabilities, allowing luxury brands to be more accurate and personalised than ever. This is not unexpected: LVMH and Alibaba had already partnered in cloud data management for five years before changing gears. In addition, Alibaba is considered as a “global partner” by LVMH in a context where data is key to properly addressing Chinese customers’ needs, wherever they are in the world.

This is why the IADS interviewed Nicolas Cano, Fashion and Luxury Business Development Director at Tmall Luxury, a division of Alibaba, to understand more about the Alibaba ecosystem, how it completes LVMH’s expertise in the region, and what the luxury behemoth gets from this deal. He has over 15 years of international expertise in the luxury sector. He started his career at L’Oréal in the Luxury Division as a Product Manager before joining LVMH in 2005. He worked at Dior Homme, Christian Lacroix as Commercial Development Manager for Europe, and then EMEA. In 2010, Nicolas joined the Chalhoub Group to develop the Chanel franchise network in the Middle East. In 2016, he took over the General Management of the Symphony Group, the Alabbar Group's retail branch, deploying an omnichannel strategy and opening exclusive concept stores in the extension of the Dubai Mall. Since May 2018, Nicolas Cano has held the Fashion & Luxury Business Development Director position at Alibaba Group. He leads the e-commerce distribution of major Houses on Alibaba’s B2C platform, Tmall & Tmall Luxury Pavilion. Nicolas graduated from the L’Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Nantes (AUDENCIA).

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