Listed online platform Aumake Limited (ASX: AUK) has entered into a licensing agreement to promote Rachael Finch’s Kissed Earth brand in China via its new social e-commerce marketplace, which connects Asian influencers with high-quality Australian brands.
Under the agreement, Aumake will promote and market Kissed Earth products in China for an initial six-month period with a right to extend for a further three years on an exclusive basis, subject to achieving $1.5 million in sales during the initial term. Aumake said it had received $100,000 for Kissed Earth product in the first 48 hours, providing an early indication of strong Asian influencer interest in the Kissed Earth brand.
Founded by well-known Australian TV personality Rachael Finch and Michael Miziner, the Kissed Earth product range spans several in-demand product categories including collagen, skincare, health food, supplement powders and bars. Sold in Australia in Myer, Coles and the Iconic, the Kissed Earth brand is also looking to expand into Japan and South East Asia.
The agreement with Kissed Earth represents the first direct brand signed to Aumake’s new social e-commerce marketplace, which launched in early October. New active users have increased by more than 900 percent since launch to 14,000, driving strong Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) growth for the company. As active users on the social marketplace continues to grow, Aumake expects corresponding growth in the number of brands in its portfolio, leading to significant network effect tailwinds.
Rachael Finch, founder of Kissed Earth, said, “We are excited to be the first brand to work with Aumake to try this new approach, which allows us to promote Kissed Earth directly to Asian influencers and consumers through social e-commerce channels. This strategy has proven successful for us in the Australian market, where we have utilised Facebook and Instagram to promote the Kissed Earth brand, and we are really pleased to have found an equivalent platform which will allow us to expand across borders, and introduce our high quality products to the Asian market.
“China has always represented a significant opportunity for Kissed Earth, and we are really excited to be working with Aumake to introduce our range to health-conscious Chinese consumers.”
Commenting on the agreement, Aumake Executive Chairman Keong Chan, said, “We are delighted to be working with Kissed Earth as the first keynote brand to use our pioneering social e-commerce marketplace to enter the Chinese market. Kissed Earth is an authentic and genuine Australian brand that aligns with Chinese consumer trends and our core values at Aumake. We are confident the Kissed Earth product range will resonate extremely well with our customers in China.
“For the first time, our customers will not only have access to Kissed Earth products at direct prices and be able to share that experience with friends on social media using our online platform, but they will also be able to generate income via our online profit sharing model based on sales of Kissed Earth products. We believe this new approach has the potential to revolutionise the way new Australian brands reach the Asian market, which will lead to significant increases in influencer traffic and allow us to grow our influencer database much faster.
“Our online platform removes friction from the sales process for both influencers and brands by providing an end-to-end service, including the co-ordination of marketing campaigns through Key Opinion Leaders, livestreaming, and Chinese social media platforms, as well as logistics and delivery. We have the opportunity to create a new customer service standard in our industry.”
“In addition to Kissed Earth, we look forward to collaborating and entering into new marketing agreements with other exciting new Australian brands. As an online marketplace, Aumake will continue to update the market on GMV and active user growth metrics over the coming months, particularly as we start to promote Aumake in China as an online platform that allows influencers to generate income via profit sharing models based on new brand sales. We believe this feature will be of significant interest to Chinese influencers and consumers.”
