Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Luxury as we all know is related to pleasure and indulgence of the senses
through objects or experiences that are more ostentatious than necessary. It
may be expressed through objects that are rare, original, expensive and of
the best quality or through services that are refined, exceptional and offer
the best in comfort. Although in our modern context, the meaning of luxury
is gearing towards individual interpretations, we may generally agree that
luxury is synonymous with pure pleasure and indulgence. Coco Chanel, the
madam of luxury definitions, was known to have repeated at every chance
that “luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends” and that “luxury
is not the opposite of poverty but that of vulgarity”. Enough said.
Luxury has been built on the foundation of certain principles that can nei-
ther be ignored nor compromised. It is a culture that requires understanding
prior to the adoption of business practices because its output is essentially
different from daily consumer goods. Luxury's original function and raison
d'être is also significantly different from those of other product or service
sectors. This function is rooted in the social stratification of the past societies
when royals, nobles and aristocrats used ostentatious consumption to stamp
their superiority and maintain their distance from the lesser privileged. While
this rigid structure has more or less disappeared from our current society,
what has not changed is the deep-seated need of man to show his distinction,
to be admired, recognized, appreciated and respected, through differentiating
himself, in most cases with his possessions. This form of indirect stratifica-
tion, which meets the innate desire of human beings to ascertain their place
in society, remains a part of today's world. And this practice of distinction is
prevalent in all cultures and societies irrespective of economic situation or
geographical region. So we can say that the role of luxury has stayed basi-
cally unchanged although this role can now be created and controlled by
each individual according to their dreams, goals and means. This new order
means that luxury remains in a superior position as it acts as a pointer for
defining the new codes of social stratification or, if you prefer, social separa-
tion. Consequently the consumer still looks up to the luxury brand in many
ways and the relationship remains to a large extent “top-down”.
If you take this relationship and place it in the context of the Internet
where the consumer is in total control and expects to be looked up to, then
the likely outcome will be “resistance, apprehension and anxiety” from the
top (the luxury brand); and 'confusion, surprise and disappointment' from
the bottom (the luxury client). This is exactly what has been happening in
the context of luxury online in the last ten years and explains why it took
brands like Prada until 2007 to have a website and why brands like Chanel
and Hermès continue to resist integrated e-retail, leaving their clients at the
mercy of fake luxury goods hawkers found on websites like eBay.com and
BuyHighReplica.com among several others. Thankfully, the resistance of
luxury brands towards e-retail and e-business in general is becoming a thing
of the past, particularly as the economic recession has led to mandatory
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