2015

Press releaseDigital Luxury Study 2015

The internet is both market place and exchange platform – also for luxury buyers. Mobile devices keep paving new ways online for them when it comes to information about their favourite brands and online shopping. The good news for stationary trading: The special meaning of the point of sale will most widely remain unaffected by the increasing online affinity since it is a real place of a unique brand and shopping experience. Luxury customers value the internet above all as a source of information. Websites of luxury brands and glossy magazines benefit from it, bloggers as opinion formers, however, show signs of weakness and can therefore not outstrip periodicals and glossy magazines. This result was found by the Digital Luxury Study 2015, which was conducted by WHITE Communi-cations with the support of Burda Style, SevenOne Media GmbH and the cosmetics association VKE Kosmetikverband.

For the third consecutive time the market research institute GfK has therefore analysed the search, information and buying behaviour of consumers with an affinity for luxury in the online world using qualified opinion polls. Jens Barczewski, Head of GfK Digital Market Intelligence Germany & Switzerland, explains, “Even if online activities from luxury customers keep on gaining in importance, the point of sale remains the measure of all things.” In addition, for the first time, market researchers have measured the memorability of a brand experience with the aid of an own analysis tool. “Finding their favourite brands at all touchpoints was considered positive by luxury customers. They appreciate the specialist shop the most, with 75% of all shoppers connecting it with a positive experience,” explains Barczewski.

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CONTACTJanina Dehm Media International & Digital ServicesTel.: +49 89 36076640 eMail: dehm@white.de

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Martin Ruppmann, managing director of the VKE- Kosmetikverband, notes, “On the customer journey luxury customers follow their very own roadmap. On the one hand they prove to be down-to-earth and brand loyal, on the other hand, however, they like trying out something new.” The study reveals that the customers use all channels and forms of media available to them in order to get informed on luxury. “We have gained exciting insights on how the so-called heavy buyers* develop their brand worlds, via which door opener, at which occasions and the kind of media they specifically use for this purpose,” explains WHITE managing director Rupert Wild. “Moreover the analysis about the connection between the online shopping world and stationary trading enables conclusions, amongst other things, on what the future stores of tomorrow and an increasingly hybrid customer approach should ideally look like.” Thereby, blogs as touchpoints show great potential as well, Rupert Wild continues, “provided they bethink of what makes them credible and strong in the heavy buyers’ view.”

*Heavy Buyer = Persons stating that they have already bought high-priced premium brands on a regular basis or exclusively in at least one of the categories fashion/shoes/accessories, decorative/care cosmetics or watches.

Light Buyer = Persons stating that they have already bought high-priced premium brands once or more often or plan to buy them in at least one of the categories fashion/shoes/accessories, decorative/care cosmetics or watches.

“Buyers who have made an experience in a specialist shop/boutique/brand store, consider this a positive one.”