As any fashionista knows, luxury brands are always one step ahead of the competition. They have to be, to maintain their high-end image. So, what can we expect from luxury brands in 2022?
Luxury goods are all about branding. It’s not just enough to have a well-made product – it also has to look the part. That’s why luxury brands have been spending big bucks on digital marketing, to make their online presence as sleek and polished as possible.
Website enhancements, content marketing, and influencer marketing are all important priorities for luxury companies in 2022. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to creating an image of opulence and exclusivity that will appeal to the richest of the rich.
As any luxury brand knows, it’s all about the experience. these days, consumers are more interested in spending money on experiences than on things. That’s why brands have to work harder to keep up.
They need to provide more immersive, engaging experiences that will hold customers’ attention. That’s why high-quality content production is so important. Luxury brands need to embrace the latest digital trends and incorporate rich media into their marketing strategies.
Rich media is much more engaging than traditional media like text or images. It’s interactive and can include features like video, audio, animation, and more. By using rich media, brands can create a more immersive experience that will appeal to modern consumers.
For example, Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen has partnered with Google to release an interactive Virtual Reality movie to engage with the brand’s audience. The movie allows consumers to embark on a motorbike ride with award-winning actor Bradley Cooper. The decisions the viewers make along the ride influence the outcome of the story. According to the brand, the key was to make the experience accessible to everyone, whether a collector of luxury timepieces or a tech enthusiast excited about the latest in VR innovation.
Some of the most effective rich media formats are immersive technologies like 3D imagery, AR, and VR. These turn customers’ journeys into a memorable experiences and bridge the gap between online and offline. They help high-end retailers replicate the in-store experience, allowing consumers to “feel” luxury items without actually visiting brick-and-mortar stores.
However, these technologies can also be used to create funny, entertaining experiences that will make customers laugh and engage with your brand on a deeper level. For example, you could create a virtual reality game that allows customers to try on different outfits and see how they look in them.
Or you could create an augmented reality app that superimposes humorous images onto real-world objects. By harnessing the power of immersive content, you can create truly engaging experiences that will delight and amuse your customers.
Quality imagery is important for all digital commerce, but especially for luxury brands and retailers.
Scott Anderson, the senior consultant at FitForCommerce, Short Hills, NJ, said that shoppers want to feel and touch items, particularly those with a higher price tag. “Visualization technologies can help them get closer to delivering that experience online,” he said. Anderson noted that some luxury brands are already using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to give shoppers a more immersive experience.
For example, L’Oreal has launched an AR app that allows users to see how products would look on them before making a purchase. While these technologies are still in their early stages of development, Anderson believes they have great potential for the future of luxury eCommerce.
It is clear that companies are valuing AR experiences and are focused on continuing to develop these technologies. However, immersive experiences are still in their infancy.
Most of the experiences related to space have been AR try-on, and almost none incorporate VR and MR in substantial ways. In efforts to create more holistic customer experiences, it will be important for brands to continue exploring how these technologies can be integrated into their marketing plans.
As we look to 2022 and beyond, expect to see more luxury brands investing in digital technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, computer vision (face, gesture and/or emotional recognition software), gaming, cryptocurrencies, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to deliver exceptional and immersive consumer experiences that not only evoke deeper connections to the brand, but also provide a sense of exclusivity. By finding the right balance of online and offline content and experience, brands will be able to differentiate, engage new audiences and deliver impeccable customer service.
The reason for this is simple: The luxury market is becoming more dynamic than ever before. Consumers are no longer willing to settle for anything less than what they want—and that includes their shopping experience. It’s no longer about “having a product” or “having a store”; it’s about delivering a complete experience that meets their needs wherever they happen to be at any given moment throughout their day.
The digital world is a new world. It requires us to re-evaluate our entire way of doing business and understand where the new, often hidden sources of value are. We have to be open to rethinking everything: who we want to be, what consumers most value from us, what our unique advantage in the marketplace is, how our brand heritage translates into modern, digitally enhanced experiences.
We need to establish commonalities in our values and passions with those of our brand and our ideal customers, and consider opportunities for enhancing, cultivating and building on these areas of synergy.
We also need to become a critical part of providing integrated experiences that customers value—and shape them productively. And lastly: engage and collaborate with the consumer throughout the journey of discovery—and strategic planning.
What do you think about this trend? How could your brand use AR, VR, or MR to enhance the customer experience?
