Improvements and innovations

Vipshop Holdings Ltd has remained profitable for 15 consecutive quarters, according to an unaudited financial report released by the company on Aug 16.

The report for the second quarter of this year showed that Vipshop’s net revenue reached 13.44 billion yuan ($2.03 billion), a year-on-year rise of 49 percent, and its gross profit was 3.24 billion yuan, a yearon-year increase of 44 percent.

The company also saw its number of new users increase 50 percent year-on-year and number of orders surge to 68.9 million.

Shen Ya, president of Vipshop, said that as of this year, the e-commerce giant has had more young users and his company has found that its customers’ consumption habits are constantly changing. Vipshop focused on improving its marketing, products and services in the second quarter of this year, Shen said.

The company also employed innovative marketing strategies and recruited Jay Chou, the popular singer from Taiwan, as its CJO, or chief jingxi (surprise) officer, on March 25. Based on Chou’s popularity and the participation of his star friends’ brands, Vipshop saw a surge in sales on April 19.

It also hosted a 12-hour live event, where two internet celebrities had to solve a number of challenges while locked in a glass room. The event took place in Beijing to promote Vipshop’s “discount day”, which falls on June 16, as well as related products. Orders on June 16 hit a record high of 6 million.

The company also enriched its available product lines and added brands created by stars and designers such as Gao Yuanyuan, a popular Chinese actress. It now has more than 1,600 professional buyers.