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that the impact on their brands is more positive than negative. This may sound
like a mission impossible but in my opinion, understanding the following factors
and features of product-lending websites could help along the way:
1. Websites that provide luxury product-lending services are capital-intensive
and take a high stock risk. This means that if the owners were not confident
of the market opportunity they would not have launched the businesses. Their
market analysis identified the changing attitudes of consumers and the poten-
tial appeal for alternating between brands without creating a permanent bond
through specific products. This reality is vital for brands to assess the model
for production and retail cycles as well as client management models.
2. Temporary ownership websites are susceptible to product category shifts
and trends. People tend to borrow more of the products that are in fashion
Figure 6.12
Rental websites like Sacdeluxe.com and MilaandEddie.com have
opened a new chapter in the way luxury products are accessed from the Internet
by creating full-service rental businesses that allow clients to borrow luxury
products from handbags to jewelry, watches, sunglasses and accessories. Their
arrival has contributed to the shift in the way consumers relate to luxury brands
and products as well as the introduction of a new segment of consumers to the
luxury universe. This movement also has an indirect impact on the trade of fake
luxury products by providing an alternative option to people that may have been
tempted to purchase fake luxury items
