Author

Shirley Li

Data Consulting Manager at Artefact

Author

Emma Deng

Data Consultant at Artefact

The behavior of purchasing luxury goods abroad is not an isolated action. It forms a complete closed loop that spans geographical and temporal boundaries—from cultivating brand awareness in the domestic market, transitioning to overseas scenarios, to brand services and value continuity upon returning home. Each stage of this loop contains strategic opportunities for brands.

As a data expert deeply rooted in the luxury goods industry, Artefact believes that in order to seize opportunities within this closed loop, brands must confront three key challenges:

  • Limited Data Insights: Cross-Border Data Transfer (CBDT) restrictions make it difficult for brands to understand the purchasing behavior of their Chinese consumers in foreign stores, even when dealing with the same brand.

  • Missed Sales Opportunities: Many consumers finalize their purchase decisions before traveling abroad. Brands that fail to engage with consumers in advance risk losing potential customer acquisition opportunities.

  • Disconnected Customer Experience: After returning home, brands often struggle to maintain a seamless experience, making it difficult to reconnect with high-value customers, which in turn affects loyalty and repeat purchases.

Opportunities and challenges coexist. Brands need comprehensive and precise strategies to empower consumers throughout their journeys, bridging key touchpoints both online and offline in domestic and overseas markets to capture high-value customers globally.

ACT: Innovative Omnichannel Strategy

Artefact partners with a third-party digital platform to help brands overcome challenges and unlock new growth opportunities through the “ACT” methodology (A – Anticipate, C – Connect, T – Track).

1. Anticipate

Seize key decision-making stages prior to travel by leveraging rich data insights from the third-party ecosystem to predict consumer demand. Through precise targeting, brands can embed themselves into consumers’ shopping lists.

  • Accurate Forecasting: Analyze diverse behavioral data provided by third-party platforms (such as hotel subscriptions, pre-travel browsing, and travel-related notifications) to accurately determine consumers’ destinations.

  • Targeted Engagement: Push customized travel inspiration content through apps within the third-party ecosystem to guide target audiences to brand platforms (such as mini-programs and brand websites) for registration or to learn about content of interest via SMS or sales outreach.

  • Ongoing Education: During the pre-travel decision phase, brands enhance consumer awareness and interest through touchpoints and sales associates.

2. Connect

Create a service closed loop with tailored homecoming experiences, integrating overseas and domestic, online and offline experiences.
– Post-Return Engagement: Trigger exclusive offers based on consumption records within the ecosystem after users return home (such as invitations for new product previews or complimentary care services), guiding them to offline boutiques to deepen their experiences.

3. Track

Ensure safe and compliant insights into overseas consumption behavior to optimize marketing decisions.

  • Data Security Collaboration: Utilize a secure data environment (Safe Haven) to anonymize and analyze overseas consumption data within a compliant framework.

  • Data Asset Accumulation: Leverage data tagging capabilities to analyze competitive purchasing behaviors, providing data support for future marketing strategies.

Conclusion

The “ACT” methodology has enabled top global luxury liquor brands to effectively reach Chinese consumers across 30+ touchpoints in Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas, guiding them to continuously explore the brand’s online and offline experiences upon returning home.

As consumer decision paths become increasingly fragmented, luxury brands must leverage strategic data capabilities to reshape customer journeys both domestically and internationally.

Please feel free to contact Kenn Liu or Shirley Li for further insights.