Research has it that online sales of luxury fashion items will make more than 20% of the market in the next five years. In addition, up to 50% of luxury sales will be influenced by the internet. This might include a social media post that might lead to a purchase or even an online search of an item that is bought offline.
This tells you that the benefits of the internet cannot be ignored. To reap these benefits, luxury fashion retailers should overcome their reservations and invest in the digital world to improve their direct to customer sales. In this article, we will discuss ways through which upscale online brands can best sell directly to customers online.
Brand Storytelling and Authenticity
Upscale online brands have very compelling stories. For example, you might find a brand with many years of experience producing a luxury product by hand in a tiny village in Italy. However, the luxury industry has evolved and is no longer about restricting the brand to certain things such as exclusivity and rarity. To engage with the modern customer, these brands need to tell their stories across different channels. The digital world provides exciting and fresh opportunities through which they can do that.
Online Experience
Upscale brands have for a long time approached selling online with caution, fearing that it might make their brands cheap and less exclusive. However, those that invested in the digital world have seen increased demand and implemented better services that benefit their customers. Modern customers need to be engaged by a brand from the comfort of their homes or maybe from work. Within just a few clicks, a customer needs to be able to order for a luxury item and have it delivered to them.
Product Pages
A luxury product is more than just an object. It is a form of status symbol. They include a high level of detail and work that needs to be displayed on the product pages. The imagery on the product pages of an upscale brand should illustrate the unique details of the items. This means that the brands should invest in specialized photographic equipment that captures every single detail of the products to make it possible for customers to get all the details of the products in their finest light on the product pages.
Data
Data is one of the key factors behind the success of most direct to consumer brands. To create an exceptional customer experience, these upscale brands should implement an eCommerce strategy that is driven by data. Consumer data should be collected, analyzed, and then interpreted in such a way that makes it possible for luxury brands to offer customers personalized suggestions and anticipate their preferences. This will work wonders in bringing brands and their customers close.
Social Media
Millennials spend more time on their social media accounts more than even websites or magazines. This is where they discover new luxury items. These social media channels offer some unique factors such as dialogue, immediacy, and influencer content that appeal to customers. For example, Instagram recently allowed full purchase in-app feature that gives upscale brands a way to sell directly to customers through the social media channel.
By implementing these factors, upscale online brands will find it easy to sell to their customers directly. Customers will also get a chance to appreciate the experiences offered by the brands, which will in turn lead to more sales.