Activewear brand Alo Yoga has entered the Chinese market through Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's Tmall platform, increasing competition in the rapidly growing field of premium activewear in the country.
The Los Angeles-based brand opened its official Tmall flagship store on Wednesday, attracting about 226,000 followers on its first day of sales.
The store began collecting final payments for pre-orders, with transaction value surpassing 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) within one minute, setting a record for opening-day sales by a new brand in the platform's sports and outdoor category, according to Tmall.
Alo's initial performance suggests Chinese consumers may be embracing the brand as much for fashion and lifestyle wear as for traditional yoga apparel. Its best-selling product was the women's "suit up" straight-leg trousers, priced at 1,150 yuan, with the Tmall page showing more than 10,000 units sold. Its derby-style sneakers, priced at 1,750 yuan, sold more than 3,000 pairs.
The sales mix indicates that higher-priced apparel and footwear were among the main drivers of the launch. The products were also sold at full price, according to the Tmall storefront.
