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and less of those that are classic. These services could be a way for clients
who do not necessarily buy pieces from every collection to interact with
brands on a more regular basis with lower risks.
3. Rental companies could easily fuel the desire to own the products that are
borrowed. Since borrowing means testing through usage, it could also be
the beginning of a long relationship between a client and a brand. Both
Sacdeluxe.com (Figure 6.12) and Avelle.com have revealed that the majority
of their clients are educated well-placed professionals who also have the
means of purchasing the products that they borrow at full price and this
could be a real opportunity for luxury brands.
4. Temporary ownership websites are able to reproduce some of the codes
through which luxury functions, such as exclusivity through waiting-lists
for certain products; elevated brand image through packaging and pres-
entation; restricted access through membership-only services; and high-
impact experience through client services. These all add up to reassure the
client that they are still within the luxury universe.
5. Rental companies contribute indirectly to combating counterfeiting of
luxury products. Consumers who may have considered purchasing fake
luxury products could be enticed into to borrowing the authentic prod-
ucts due to the low price factor and this could be their point of conversion
from fake product clients to the consumers of authentic luxury products. It
could also be an educational process and eye-opener for them to appreci-
ate the difference between a well-crafted product and a knock-off version.
6. Rental websites could become information resources for luxury clients
who have no intention to rent but are seeking the latest collections, styles
and trends of as many brands as possible on a single website.
Sellers and counterfeiters
The Internet is currently in its second wave of boom, following the dot-com
crash and this time its evolution has been moving slowly but surely in mul-
tiple directions. While, on the one hand, the control of e-retailing luxury
goods has been placed in the hands of brands and retailers, on the other, it
has also provided an opportunity for consumers themselves to carve a mar-
ket not only for buying but also for selling. eBay has been at the forefront of
client-to-client commerce through a controlled auction format, but special-
ized websites that focus on specific categories such as luxury and fashion
are also emerging. One such website is Portero.com (Figure 6.13), which is a
portal that allows individuals to resell their used luxury items to other people
through an auction-bidding system.
The auction website was founded in 2004 to offer the public access to the
luxury lifestyle through pre-owned products in excellent condition. It strives
to be a marketplace for people controlled by people. Products are retailed
across a broad range of luxury categories including accessories - handbags,
