Luxury brands, and even art galleries, looking to expand their footprint are opting for the digital network to sell their products and art.

Carat Lane

Last week, the magazine publishing giant Condé Nast was in news for planning a foray into the ecommerce business, what with the U.S. and its other international editions teaming up to set a new online shopping division.

If you go by what luxury gurus recommend, the best sales of luxury products can be achieved in a store, where the customer and the salesperson is face-to-face, since service is an important aspect of luxury. There’s no substitute for seeing and experiencing the real thing, or so is the traditional belief.

Horchow

But, the new luxury customer is out to prove the notion wrong. Last month, Brioni announced the launch of its new website that opened shipping to 100 countries via ecommerce launch. Carat-Lane, an online jewelry site recently sold solitaire earrings worth Rs 3.5 crore online with, of course, the client checking them out later before purchasing them. The moot point is: the decision to purchase was made online.

Not just luxury products, but even art galleries and auction houses continue to expand both locally and globally by putting their art online, and the most ardent of art collectors are increasingly buying art going by the jpeg. ARTUNER and Counter Editions, two established contemporary art websites, provide an informed and convenient way to collect art.

The love for buying online goes much beyond art and products. In July 2013, a wealthy Middle East family paid $500,000 to charter a private jet to Europe through the private jet booking service, PrivateFly.com, which announced its biggest ever sale via its iPhone app.

ARTUNER

So, what has led people to purchase even ultra-big-ticket items through an e-commerce site?

Ecommerce, the new age thinking goes, can be a principal profit centre for luxury brands if managed properly. Trust, relationship, and loyalty towards certain luxury brands are important to succeed in ecommerce.

The aspirational lifestyles of the global affluent are deeply intertwined with web connectivity; thus, luxury players looking to woo high-end clientele must integrate their services seamlessly within such lifestyles.

Tory Burch Spring 2014

India has seen the rise of Pernia’s pop-up shop and its innovative way of selling luxury online. Interestingly, most luxury brands like Tory Burch and home décor brands like Horchow, who are not present in India as yet, sell online to Indians.

Clearly, e-commerce is the way to go for most brands, especially if they are looking at expanding their footprint without putting up retail stores.