Historically, the idea of selling luxury items on the web has been a difficult proposition. Intrinsic with “luxury” shopping is the experience of walking into a well-appointed shop and being waited upon by knowledgeable,
experienced associates. As this recent U.S.
News article details, brands have had a difficult time translating that into an online experience. After all, even the most creative or cutting edge website cannot capture the feeling of
walking into a Hermes store or a Porsche dealership.

On the other hand, people are spending an increasing percentage
of their time and money online, making for a poor business decision to ignore the web and its potential. Luxury brands should embrace the internet and what it does best -
connecting people and sharing information – as they formulate interactive marketing strategies and develop websites.

One of the best aspects of the web as a marketing tool is the ease with which communication can spread, generating buzz can be as simple as getting
a few top bloggers to write about the brand and products. Accordingly, building brand equity and tying these communities together is essential, by creating an online home base, luxury brands can disseminate information, facilitate communication, gather feedback, communicate with customers and prospects, and generate sales. After all, massive amounts of people are using the web to research
purchases (that they make online and in-store), making it essential
for companies to establish a presence on the web. Customers and advocates are
going to be discussing products regardless, brands should be joining and facilitating those conversations.

Which brings us to “Web 2.0” and online communities. There are thousands of social networking sites, message boards, forums, and review sites on the net, including sites dedicated to luxury goods. A few examples include the Purse
Blog (an amazing resource for designer handbag aficionados), Egullet.org for passionate home chefs, and of course 3LUXE.com
for a curated selection of products and services. Luxury brands can take advantage of existing communities in a variety of ways, including advertising, sponsoring blog posts, giving interviews and interacting with customers through sites like Twitter and YouTube. Luxury brands already have that insider’s cachet – the sense of belonging to special club – adapting  web strategies and bringing that club online will lead to great success.

All the best,
Bill