As the digital infrastructure of the region keeps growing, the bandwidth of the connections allows the deployment of new strategies. Brands, including luxury brands, try to re-produce the in-store experience through purpose-designed sites.
People use a combination of online channels to research the product they intend to purchase and then walk into the physical store. However, recent researches show that there is a gap between customers’ expectations of integrated sales channels and the offerings of retailers.
“Consumers’ experience online and offline should be seamless but to build credibility and trust, you need to ensure your company is beyond digital. All information that the consumers find online should be offline too as mobile works like a magnet to attract the consumers to the stores. Hence to reach people, online experience is necessary,” commented David Vereruysse, General Manager, Sephora.
Adding to that, personalized experience to the consumers once they walk into the stores also holds significance. “Personalization is the buzzword in the luxury brands, which means doing things actually the way the customer is wanting,” added Rachel Arthur, Senior Editor, WGSN.
As compared to other brands, luxury brands have been slow in adopting digital, and many seem them as late entrants.
“Industry has been slow in adopting digital. There needs to be a paradigm shift as the millennial is growing with mobile devices. Smartphone is the gateway to connectivity and so there is a need for the right basics and ingredients to connect with the consumers. This also depends from sector to sector as while fashion luxury is slow, automotive luxury is ahead in digital as research already happens online,” explained Waseem Afzal, Head of Digital, OMD.
Another key point is the creation and distribution of content across various digital platforms. Khaled Zaatarah, Brands Operations Leader at P&G Prestige said, “The key is to evaluate content and see which will engage people more on the respective digital platforms. Brands today have many strict rules when in comes to content marketing; they need to be innovative to give luxury content to consumers.”
“Luxury brands are experienced story tellers. But we need to understand how the brands can become native or local on the respective digital platforms and that comes with how we present the content,” added Ellen van Meerendonk, Client Development Director at Yahoo.
Publishers are a major source of content for brands. Once content is produced, either through influencers or through content creators, it is distributed through various channels be it paid, earned or owned media. However, good content will grab the attention of the consumer irrespective of the method.
“The challenge is to understand how we can be more human in applying technology to provide the content by driving the wave of mobility and taking it to the fulfillment of the activity. The way is the distribution of content and amplifying of content through paid or free media, but if its good content, it will be taken, irrespective of paid or free,” added Mr Afzal.
