Cross-border Apparel Seller ZBYU Opens First Physical Store, 'Brand Pop-up' Lands in Hangzhou

【Ebrun Original】Recently, ZBYU, a cross-border apparel company, opened its first physical store in Linping Intime City, Hangzhou, named after its professional women's wear brand CICYBELL.

On the opening day, the store primarily sold women's clothing and shoes, with a small selection of children's wear, positioning itself at an affordable price point. Ebrun learned from ZBYU employees that the first store will operate for only one month.

Located in the core commercial district of the city's urban area, the Linping Intime City where the store resides once ranked among the top eight key commercial projects in Hangzhou by sales. Moreover, the store is just a few hundred meters from ZBYU's headquarters.

A few days before the opening, ZBYU Group announced on its official account, but disclosed limited details, only noting that over ten brands under the group would be featured, primarily showcasing three collections from CICYBELL this season. The company describes this physical store as a 'brand pop-up.' Despite the 'pop-up' label, the announcement did not specify the duration of the store's operation or the strategic rationale behind opening a physical location.

However, a closer look reveals that ZBYU's foray into physical retail has been hinted at previously. In its interim results announcement this year, ZBYU mentioned in its future outlook that it aims to 'strengthen the omni-channel sales system,' including 'steadily advancing the exploration of independent sites and lightweight offline channels.' According to a research report by Guoyuan International released in early September, ZBYU stated during its earnings call that in the second half of the year, in addition to advancing U.S.-based livestreaming, visual, and social media operations, the company would also explore offline pop-up stores and its self-operated website.

Interestingly, despite being focused on cross-border e-commerce, ZBYU has chosen to launch its first offline pop-up in China rather than overseas. Whether this move prepares for domestic market expansion or serves as a trial run for future overseas physical stores remains uncertain.

Founded in 2011, ZBYU has built a brand matrix comprising 10 core brands, covering women's wear, men's wear, and children's wear. North America is ZBYU's core market, accounting for over 95% of its revenue. Amazon contributes more than 80% of ZBYU's revenue, and its channel diversification is currently driven primarily by the rapid growth of TikTok.

This article was first published on Ebrun's official website.