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this? Didn't they realize that she would never spend her money in their store
and that she would ensure that no one she knew did so? She was still wonder-
ing these when three weeks after obtaining her refund, she received a phone
call from Sogep to find out her availability for the delivery of her sofa. Oh dear!
*
This is not a fictitious story but a true story of events that took place between
2008 and 2009
Luxury clients want to be recognized, they want to be remembered, and they
want to be shown that they count and there is no better way to provide this than
through elevated service. With the significant advances made in content and
data management, online shopping services can now easily include personaliza-
tion on all levels, product suggestions and even recognizing clients' birthdays as
well as those of their family members for whom they may also shop.
In addition, recognizing the e-boutique as an extension and complement
of offline retailing will reward a luxury brand more than positioning the two
channels as competing stores. Consumers who congregate online are also
increasingly meeting offline and are creating communities around luxury life-
style dimensions. Online websites that cater to the wealthy are also establishing
offline clubs where customers can meet like-minded people. This has a con-
sequence in their collective experiences which they transfer to shopping for
luxury goods online. On the other hand, e-retailers such as Fashionista.com
are challenging the formula of restricting e-retailers to the online channel. The
Luxury
retail
Luxury
retail
Store
E-Boutique
Store
Client
Client
Figure 6.9
The structure of luxury retail has changed with the arrival of the
Internet. Clients currently purchase both online and offline and expect to receive
a uniform brand experience and elevated customer service on the two channels.
Luxury brands are currently required to integrate the two distribution channels to
complement one another across the board
