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"There are a lot of platforms, but a lot of them focus on discounts while VIP.com has a focus on fashion. It's a really great kind of opportunity."
Elliatt's turnover was $7 million last year and it's on track to be more than $15 million this year, with one bricks-and-mortar store in China and plans to open 14 more.
Elliatt clothes on the runway at New York Fashion Week.
"Our strategy is to target the second- and third-tier cities [in China] and with VIP.com the biggest percentage of their consumers is those cities which don't have lots of premium malls and high-end fashion," Pratt says. "I think VIP will help us reach that market."
Shayne Mele, merchandise manager at VIP.com, says the e-commerce platform offers huge exposure for Australian businesses.
"We have an extremely large user base of 300 million and over 80 per cent are female who are extremely fashion conscious," he says.
Mele says VIP.com has more than 25 million active daily users on its websites and stocks between 100 and 150 Australian brands.
"We have over 1700 people in our customer service team in China that operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week and we have our own logistics network which is one of the largest in China," he says.
VIP.com targets Australian businesses that will translate well to the Chinese market.
"We look for a trusted name in the local Australian market, they have to have some sort of unique selling point and have potential for scalability," he says.
The e-commerce platform agrees a wholesale price with each brand, which covers VIP.com's costs, tax, duty and the expected gross margin for the category.
Mele says the cut taken varies from category to category and brand to brand and Pratt says for Elliatt it is about 35 per cent.
Victorian Minister for Trade and Investment Philip Dalidakis says there are enormous opportunities for Australian businesses to break into China's huge e-commerce market.
“We know how important it is for local businesses to have strong global connections if they are to grow and create jobs," he says.
Cara is Fairfax media's small business editor based in Melbourne
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