Today Internet is a medium used by the majority of the global brands as an indispensable marketing tool. Its multiple benefits make it look like a panacea for the marketers’ problems. Still, some of the well-known brands consider online marketing damaging to their image. Those are luxury brands. Luxury goods have a rarity value which makes them more desirable, while Internet is available to the masses seeking a bargain.Luxury designers invest heavily in retail outlets which play the most significant role in the overall luxury buying experience. Physical surrounding and personal attention of luxury stores continue to remain important to the customers, while online shopping is seen as being to mass and not exclusive.
Few of luxury brands such as Prada, Bulgari, Burberry, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Bang & Olufsen, Tiffany's, Chanel sell their goods directly online. Real luxury brands don't have successful websites. They look like shiny brochures, take a lot of loading time and lack functionality. I am not sure about the peacefulness of my dreams tonight after seeing the image on the index page of Prada website.
Yet, few companies, such as LVMH (Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton) realize the importance of their online presence. LVMH owns the E-Luxury site on which it sells most of its brands augmented with selected products from other high fashion brands. Still, instead of using any of its brand sites for the online selling, the group has set up an independent site, with an unconnected brand.
While most of the luxury brands keep ignoring the Internet, the demand for global luxury online sales is on the increase. Recent reports indicate that the wealthy are almost all online and are pleased with making online purchases. Therefore, even considering that online shopping is much less fun than traditional, there's no reason not to use the Internet to share information about the brand and create desire. Internet marketing for luxury brands could be an opportunity to reinforce the brand as it exists in offline world stores.
Image: Bulgari website
