Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 6.1
Cartier is one of the few luxury brands that has clearly distinguished
the web experience of its Love Collection website from that of the numerous
websites where the collection is featured. While blogs such as Luxist provide a
forum for presenting, discussing and sharing information on the collection, the
web experience presented in the community spirit of blogs is expected to be
enhanced and validated by the brand's official website
accept the information diffused by media websites without question. Their
interaction with luxury brands online is now on a 360º basis in which they
obtain, review, discuss and share information on brands before making a pur-
chase decision. This information flow is no longer vertical (from the brand to
the client) but is now lateral (from clients to fellow clients) and increasingly
excludes the brands. Luxury clients are not only seeking interaction with
those who share their tastes and passions, but also input and feedback about
brands. Their point of reference is shifting from the information provided by the
luxury brands to the perceptions that their fellow consumers have of the
brands. Several among them no longer even bother to validate the commentary
of their fellow clients regarding brands as there is currently a strong factor
of trust among consumers online. They have understood that they have the
power of expression through blogs, a strong position through their ability
to congregate and independence in their choices and channel of receiving
messages. As a result, luxury clients have become more demanding and cur-
rently seek a complete 360º shopping experience with either brands or luxury
e-retailers. This mode of communication and functioning in turn contributes
to how they view luxury brands both individually and collectively. It means
that online shoppers expect to find the same level of engagement that they
have on the social websites from luxury websites. They expect to be engaged
through interactive features as well as be given the possibility to engage
others through conversations, feedback and exchanges that come in the form
of conversing, sharing, recommending, companion shopping, creating, cus-
tomizing, trying and collaborating and so on.
