With luxury giants like Burberry attributing a 17 per cent rise in retail sales to its omnichannel strategy, it’s no wonder an increasing number of luxury brands are trying to adopt a more seamless and integrated approach to marketing.
Omnichannel is a multichannel approach to sales and marketing that aims to provide an integrated customer experience across online and offline channels. However, while many understand the omnichannel theory, few are yet to put it into practice or even successfully use the various digital channels key to its success.
With its mass of content and demand for immediacy, the Internet surprisingly still presents a challenge to luxury brands, particularly when it comes to dealing with social media and bloggers. Many worry about losing control over a previously well-guarded reputation and not having the resource to deal with a fast-paced and ever-changing landscape.
This was a key topic of conversation for brands at a Bell Pottinger Blogger Breakfast, hosted by Julia Carrick OBE, where directors and senior marketers of luxury brands, including Alfred Dunhill, Astley Clarke, Boodles, Clive Christian, Garrard, Myla, William & Son and Thomas Pink were joined by some of the UK’s most influential lifestyle bloggers, including Sasha Wilkins of Liberty London Girl; Emily Johnston of Fashion Foie Gras; and Ella Gregory of Coco’s Tea Party. Together they discussed the evolving dynamic between luxury brands and the web.
Emily Johnston, Founder and Editor of Fashion Foie Gras, one of the UK’s most influential fashion bloggers, advises that to avoid compromising integrity, brands “must understand which platforms are most powerful to their audience and customise their messaging according to what will work.”
Tailoring any campaign to show a firm understanding of one’s audience is vital, but even more so when dealing with social media and blogs. Too often brands adopt a scattergun approach; not thinking how this is received by the savvy and needy consumer, and not spending enough time planning what digital channels will best complement their wider marketing strategy.
With a wealth of data available on consumer online habits, marketing departments of luxury brands must use it to be as targeted as possible in their communications. With 62 per cent of fashion-savvy women admitting blogs influence their purchase decisions – ranking abo Dunhill, Clive Christian and Boodles discuss why ‘omnichannel’ is still a theory for many luxury brandsve Facebook and Twitter – blogs are becoming increasingly effective.
However, with more than 152 million active blogs, each with their own niche community, luxury brands must be highly selective when choosing a blogger to collaborate with. Victoria Christian, Marketing Director at Clive Christian, notes that by interacting with blogs in a targeted way “it is possible to communicate your brand story in a unique way, which is very personal.”
When Fortnum & Mason launched its online presence, it was mindful to keep its 300-year heritage at the forefront of its digital strategy. It positioned itself as a luxury destination for shopping, service and high-quality through Facebook, Twitter and targeted blogger relations campaigns. Fortnum & Mason’s online presence helped it drive significantly increased online sales, while building an engaged online community.
These integrated examples are few and far between in the luxury sector, which is resulting in many brands trying but failing to introduce a seamless on and offline experience to their clientele. The 33 per cent of consumers who admit to making an omnichannel purchase present a huge opportunity but only those brands who have spent the time mastering the basics are now reaping rewards.
Estée Lauder Companies, the parent company of cosmetic powerhouses, including MAC, Bobbi Brown and Jo Malone, has implemented an omnichannel strategy to help consumers experience the brand in its entirety. The ‘My Aveda Style’ app, for example, gives customers the chance to test hairstyles and colours, before sending the concepts to their nearest branch so the stylist already has inspiration ahead of the appointment. By utilising consumer data, Estée Lauder Companies has been able to boost engagement, loyalty and sales by offering customers a personalised purchase journey.
Using social media and engaging with bloggers does not mean commoditising a brand or losing control. Luxury brands should embrace the intimate offline relationships they share with customers and create bespoke digital content that high-street brands are unable to rival. The key is in the content: showcasing brand heritage, custom design and superior materials online will not only help luxury brands stand out from the crowd, but better resonate with their consumer.
Adopting an omnichannel marketing strategy will no doubt reap longer-term rewards for luxury brands but it’s paramount that they master the art of telling the story behind them first. The best way of doing this online is carefully planning what channels will work best and using highly-produced content to communicate via social media, blogs, traditional media and any other complementary channels.
By James Thomlinson, Partner & Managing Director at Bell Pottinger Wired.
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