Digital Luxury: E-Shops

Innovative and original, these are the new platforms that are revolutionizing luxury online

Monday, 27 November 2017, by VO+ Magazine

«We want to o

After the 2015 fusion between Yoox, the Italian luxury fashion retailer and the colossal French Net-a-Porter Group – a business deal that gave life to the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, which last year ‘posted’ an aggregate net revenue of 1.8 billion euros and an aggregate adjusted EBITDA of about 156 million euros – many big players have decided to enter the world of digital luxury retail sales. The goal is clear: divide up a pie whose total value is almost 18 billion euros and that forecasts an increase in volume reaching 50 billion by 2025 (Source: Altagamma/McKinsey). Among these, 24 Sèvres stands out. We are talking about the LVMH e-commerce site that turns shopping at Le Bon Marché, the iconic Parisian department store, into an online experience. Through the 24sevres.com site or iOS app, customers can access the seventy brands of the group, as well as a selection of independent designers – from Balenciaga to Balmain and Stella McCartney – and even brands like Adidas and Nike (only for exclusive items like Yeezy by Kanye West and Cortez in ultra-limited edition). The opportunity to get sales assistance from a personal shopper via video chat and taking advantage of a ‘Style Bot’ in the style of Facebook Messenger for advice on trends make the buying experience even more innovative.

Words Matteo Guizzardi

Swoonery’s Founder Jean Z. Poh
Natalia Obolensky Plukka's CEO

A special computer algorithm is the online jewelry store Swoonery’s secret weapon. Founder Jean Z. Poh explains, «We want to offer our clients access to unique High-End jewelry, helping them discover brands that reflect their personality. To do this, we’ve developed an algorithm that detects the buyer’s tastes and creates a selection specific to their needs. And we also have an app that is fun and playful, almost like a dating app for jewelry.» Standing out from the competition is e-tailer Plukka’s secret. It was founded by Natalia Obolensky, who is based between Hong Kong, London and the US. «We avoid direct competition thanks to the unrivaled exclusivity of our offerings,» explained the CEO. «In addition to creating our own collections, we choose the most creative designers in the world. We select a new artist every month, explaining his or her unique know-how. The element of ‘teaching’ the consumer and the value of storytelling are the keys to success for us.» The success of the new Flont website is based on different approaches to consumption. It has adopted the winning model ‘Rent the Runway’ – a notable web rental platform for high-fashion dresses and accessories – which allows jewelry lovers to ‘borrow’ an unlimited number of precious jewels drawn from a collection of well-known and new brands, paying a monthly fee (299 dollars for a minimum of three months). Insurance and FedEx delivery are included in the price. «Jewelry is perfect for sharing,» founder Cormac Kinney explained to Forbes recently. «It is expensive and long-lasting. Women prefer having a va- riety to choose from rather than buying one jewel every few years.»