Bvlgari Fragrance has been making moves in China to secure a share of the premium male fragrance market.
Not only has the brand relaunched its Bvlgari Pour Homme Cologne in China, but they have also opened a pop-up store in Shanghai's Zhang Garden fairground and launched a Weibo social media campaign with Chinese actor Yang Yang tagged #BvlgariFragranceMeetsAnotherMe.
According to leading data and analytics company, GlobalData, these initiatives are timed to capture a share of the growing premium male fragrance market in China, which is forecasted to expand at a 10 percent CAGR between 2023 and 2027.
"The Chinese fragrance market is dominated by female fragrances. However, akin to the trend in the male cosmetics space, consumer spending on male fragrances is rising rapidly. Within the male fragrances category, the premium segment is set to outpace the mass market segment," explained Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, Bobby Verghese.
The expected growth can be attributed to the increased gifting of premium and luxury fragrances on special occasions like Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Shopping events like Tmall's Single's Day and JD.com's 618 shopping festivals have also played a significant role in accelerating male fragrance sales.
Bvlgari is amping up its marketing spend in order to catch up with the current leading brands within the Chinese male fragrance market, such as Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Giorgio Armani.
Leveraging a combination of experential marketing and social media campaigns, these efforts are intended to maximise the impact of its product launches.
For example, the Zhang Garden pop-up features a perfume sampling area and art installations, attracting experience-seeking Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
"The store can help the company in acquiring new consumers, given that 40% of Chinese male respondents in GlobalData’s consumer survey say that a positive sampling experience motivates them to try new scents and fragrances," added Consumer Business Development Manager at GlobalData China, Kiki Wu.
Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Douyin are especially effective for marketing male fragrances. Due to the strong celebrity culture in China, celebrity influencers like Yang Yang are exceptional at garnering record sales, even just through a single live-streaming event.
According to GlobalData's 2022 Q4 consumer survey, 67 percent of Chinese consumers said that they found celebrity endorsements to be an essential feature or a nice-to-have feature they actively look for when purchasing a product or service.
The survey also found that reviews on e-commerce portals like Tmall, Xiaohongshu and JD.com can attract Chinese consumers to try out new scents.
With the Chinese government's recalling of its strict zero-Covid policy, more consumers are returning to their shopping hubs, social hangout spaces and workplaces. This development will catalyse the use and gifting frequency of luxury fragrances, particularly among aspirational and high-spending Chinese youth.
China's young consumers are not only seeking premium fragrances because they consider them as status symbols, but they are also looking for distinctive fragrances that can allow for self expression. Bvlgari's relaunch achieves this by instilling authentic elements of Chinese culture and art into its product, packaging and marketing strategies.
GlobalData advises multi-national brands to follow Bvlgari's lead by incorporating Chinese influence into their products to leverage the "Guochao", or nationalism trend that appeals to Gen Z consumers.
