When Melbourne-based beauty start-up Bellabox decided to expand its operations to China, it forewent the costly route of physically setting up shop there in favour of a purely virtual presence.
Bellabox is a subscription service where every month, for the price of $15 plus $2.95 postage and handling fees (which include premium trackable postage), customers receive a box filled with 5+ beauty samples from high‐end boutique and cult brands from around the world.
With more than 40,000 registered members in Australia receiving Bellabox’s personalised beauty boxes on a monthly subscription basis, CEO Sarah Hamilton (pictured) saw a good opportunity to sell a customised box to Chinese customers that focused on Australian‐made natural cosmetics.
Sarah approached fellow Melbourne entrepreneur Roy Hui, CEO of Market Engine, who recommended she take advantage of his company’s partnership with Australia Post.
Market Engine has been working with Australia Post for more than a year to co-develop a proprietary market management system that enables local retailers to sell directly to Chinese customers on Tmall, the business-to‐consumer platform run by Chinese e‐commerce giant Alibaba.
How is Bellabox using Market Engine?
Using Market Engine via Australia Post meant Sarah could circumvent the usual requirement that retailers need to have a registered business in China in order to sell products on Tmall.
“Market Engine’s unique service means we’ve been able to bypass all of the usual hurdles for entering a new market, such as language differences, import and export regulations, and logistics.”
“The ease with which we’ve been able to set up shop in China has made this a viable project for Bellabox, and we couldn’t have done it without Market Engine,” she said.
Roy Hui, CEO of Market Engine, said he was excited about the opportunities that lay ahead for Bellabox.
“There’s a massive appetite for Australian-made natural cosmetics in China, and using our market management system, Bellabox will have full control over its retail prices, inventory levels, product authenticity, customer experience and brand equity – all in real-time and from a secure online platform that can be easily accessed from the Australian office,” he said.
What does Market Engine do?
Bellabox is one of dozens of Australians retailers that have used Market Engine’s proprietary market management platform within the last year to launch e-commerce sites in China.
Its world first, cloud-based retail platform translates all copy, images and price points from English into Chinese, enabling brands to centrally manage multiple e‐shop fronts across China’s largest e‐commerce sites like Alibaba’s , including Tmall Global, JD Worldwide, YHD.com and WeChat, and sell directly to Chinese consumers.
With offices in Australia, Europe and China, Market Engine offers a door‐to-door technology, logistics, marketing and customer support solution for businesses looking to expand into a lucrative new market, without the need for bricks and mortar presence.
Market Engine’s expertly trained team in China works closely with clients to manage 24/7 customer support, fulfillment, delivery and marketing to ensure strong brand equity in a new market and drive optimal sales for their e‐shop fronts.
