Gucci China has launched an official e-commerce site, Gucci.cn.

It was set up to give consumers better access to Gucci products, says the Italian luxury label, “without the limitations imposed by store location or opening hours”.

Goods are shipped from local warehouses, with help offered for transactions by a China-based customer service team via live chat or phone.

Payments can be made using such providers as Alipay and WeChat.

As well as a wealth of images and narrative, the label says the website offers a “Stories” section that takes an in-depth look at the sources of inspiration for creative director Alessandro Michele’s collections.

“Combining editorial content with commercial features is an approach that has already proved effective in North America, Europe, the UAE and Australia, where the concept was launched in 2015.”

Gucci e-commerce sites are active in nearly 30 countries including Japan and South Korea.