(Yicai Global) May 8 -- Gap’s China outlets are getting a thorough reboot now that Baozun has bought the US apparel giant’s China operations, as the Chinese e-commerce firm puts its online strengths to good use to help Gap’s flagging sales in the country recover.

Baozun’s strengths are in blending brick-and-mortar and online businesses and this is exactly where Gap needed help, said Sandrine Zerbib, president of brand management at Shanghai-based Baozun.

Baozun acquired Gap (Shanghai) Commercial in February, becoming responsible for the retailer’s businesses on the mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macao. The company is confident that it will take Gap to a brand-new and higher level, she added.

Baozun was quick to appoint a group of designers to make Gap clothes more suited to Chinese body types and whose style is more to Chinese consumers’ liking, Xiao Wing, chief executive officer of Gap’s China business, told Yicai Global at the firm’s flagship store on West Nanjing Road in Shanghai.

The rebranding focusses on fashion trends among the young, Xiao said. The firm’s target consumer groups are young city dwellers aged between 18 and 30 and fashion-conscious mothers aged between 25 and 40, she said.

“Previously, our online and offline inventories were separate, but now our systems are integrated,” Xiao said. “The Covid-19 pandemic has hugely changed business formats and Baozun is continuously upgrading and debuting new tools to turn offline resources into online ones. Baozun is reshaping and rebuilding every link of Gap from design, production and sales to services, she added.

This includes making the brick-and-mortar shops more attractive to customers by introducing better experiences. And those with sharp eyes will notice that Gap’s China outlets now look different.

“The decorations in Gap stores seem brighter now and I feel that the clothes on the manikins are waving to me when I step in, persuading me to buy them,” said Nancy, a white-collar worker in Shanghai who owns a Gap membership.

“Before acquiring Gap, Baozun helped hundreds of brands achieve online-offline integration and our wealth of experience and strengths in this area will definitely make Gap soar again,” Xiao said.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor