When luxury brands put their community in the spotlight
With the boom in e-commerce and the emergence of a whole new digitally savvy generation, the challenge for brands today is to gather together and activate their online customer community. In this context, luxury marketing, particularly based on the experiential, is destined to undergo profound changes. Faced with a hyperconnected, volatile and demanding target, several levers of engagement exist. An overview.
Live shopping to strengthen ties and engage
The wave of live shopping from Asia has gradually swept into Europe since the first lockdowns, as brands had to find new ways to reach their stuck-at-home customers. By creating online shopping sessions on specific themes to promote certain products, this online experience gives customers the opportunity to interact with the brand and ultimately purchase its products.
Online collaborative shopping that recreates the in-store shopping experience
Although it is now easy to shop online, the notion of sharing experiences was missing. With collaborative shopping, people can now ask their friends to join a private online group on the brand’s e-commerce site. Each item added to their wishlist is automatically shared with the group who can comment and interact. Thanks to these community chats, it is now possible to shop together and comment on each other’s purchases without having to meet physically in a store or shopping centre.
Customer content to bring authenticity to your e-commerce site
While promoting a product via an influencer can be effective and appropriate, brands can face a “crisis of confidence” from their community. However, when uninfluenced consumers test products and give their opinion, the authenticity of the testimony is reassuring. This strategy of promotion by consumers or “User Generated Content” (UGC) consists in consumers regularly identifying the brand’s products in their posts on social media by wearing them. A close relationship with the community and communication at a lower cost: UGC is a real gold mine for brands!
More than ever, customer communities are a powerful tool for self-care, feedback and brand preference. The customer experience is greatly enhanced by fostering a loyal and cohesive online community. It is proving to be an essential ingredient in developing a higher level of engagement with the customer, who must feel that they share certain strong values with the brand. As a key source of value creation, communities are an increasingly strategic issue for the major players in the luxury goods industry. So, what about you? What are you doing to energise your community?