Ep. 119: Thriving in China's Eommerce Ecosystem with Sandrine Zerbib

China Business Cast

Bio Sandrine Zerbib

Over 25 years’ experience in consumer business in China, out of which the last seven years working on cracking the code of Chinese digital native millennials.

Sandrine Zerbib founded and is currently running a Shanghai based and China focused brand management and digital agency specialized in digital brand strategy, e-commerce operations and 360 marketing – from performance marketing to community management and event digitalization. Most Full Jet clients are international fashion, lifestyle and sports labels, such as G-Star, Dr. Martens, Lacoste, TOMS, Brooks Running, Skechers, UGG, DeBeers and many others (www.fulljet.com.cn). Early this year, Full Jet was acquired by Baozun, the undisputed e-commerce service provider in China.

In addition, she is currently a member of the Advisory Board of Pictet Premium Brands Fund, as well as a director of the board of Allure Systems – a start-up providing fashion companies with a solution for virtualized apparel enabling virtual try-on.

She was previously a director of the board of Esprit Holdings Ltd., a director of the China board of Infront Sports & Media, the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Lacoste China and CEO and Executive Director of China Dongxiang (Group) Co., Ltd, a Chinese company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and specialized in the production, marketing and distribution of sports fashion brands in China and Japan, notably Kappa and Phenix.

Until mid-2007, Sandrine Zerbib was the President of adidas Greater China. She was appointed in the mid-1990s to create and develop the China business of adidas. She started and successfully developed the adidas business in China, from its naissance stage to its present market leading position.

Under Sandrine’s leadership, adidas emerged as a leading performance sports brand in China, set to be the number one brand by 2008. With a network of close to 4,000 adidas brand stores across approx 500 cities when Sandrine left adidas, adidas was already achieving about USD 1 billion in net sales, making China the second largest market for adidas outside the United States.

Underpinning these achievements was a fully controlled distribution system and a constant effort to build a distinctive and inspirational brand for China’s young, dynamic and energetic consumers.

One of adidas Greater China’s most outstanding milestones has been securing the partnership rights to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The partnership was a platform for ongoing engagement with Chinese consumers and a true point of differentiation that proved adidas commitment to the development of sports in China.

While guiding adidas to success in China, Sandrine managed to make and maintain adidas Greater China the most profitable subsidiary of the adidas Group, and in the process built a tightly knit team of about 1000 staff united by their impossible is nothing attitude.

Last, Sandrine successfully led the integration of Reebok in the adidas group in China and pioneered a new approach to adidas Group organization by achieving the highest level of integration of Taylor Made (Golf) in the adidas Group.

Before her involvement in China, Sandrine was head of acquisition financing at a banking subsidiary of the AGF Group, where one of the most important transactions she led was the sale of adidas by the Dassler family to its new shareholders.

Episode content:

Sandrine led Adidas China for 13 years starting from 1994. She knows every detail on the Sports Industry and in the past years expanded this knowledge to a wide scope of consumer brands. Sandrine shares the 3 factors that made Adidas China succeed. Also later in the interview she will share why some brands succeed and other fail.

• The early days of Sandrine's China career at Adidas. And differences between now and then on reaching consumers
• 3 success factors of Adidas China to go from 0 into a billion USD company
• Why most foreign brands are using a TP for their E-commerce business
• Why her company Full Jet merged with Baozun
• Why some brands fail and some succeed
• Should you have China expertise in local market or at head office overseas
• To go international as a Chinese company what culture is needed
• What are the main differences comparing Western platforms versus Chinese platforms
• Will there be ONE global Ecommerce Ecosystem
• How the consumer experience is leading online shopping in China
• The book Sandrine is writing about Chinese businesses, leadership and entrepreneurship
• How to handle uncertainty, thrive in chaos and face digitalization
• What is next for Sandrine

Episode Mentions:

• Find Sandrine Zerbib on Linkedin
• Their website is http://www.fulljet.com.cn
• BATX = Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi
• GAFA = Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple

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