Harrods, the posh British department store, created a mobile app in May to provide their existing customers a new way of engagement and to tap potential new customers. It’s their first foray into mobile marketing. The app grants a virtual navigational access to the Knightsbridge store’s seven floors and information on all the brands they carry.
Meanwhile, luxury travel Web site Jetsetter expanded their digital reach to cater to clients on the go via their new iPad app that, they say, allows for an experience better than their Web site. Launched in April, the app is promoted using email blasts and social media, boasting of 360-degree rotating views of different luxury hotels and a showcase of amenities. Travelers can easily book and reserve with a simple tap on the screen.
Also available on the iPad, as well as on the iPhone, diamond cutter and jeweler Lazare Kaplan’s app gives customers an educated way to select the diamonds they want to purchase. Integrated into the app is a lesson on the 4Cs of diamonds—color, clarity, carat and cut. Each available diamond can be compared with others for customers to make informed decisions when buying.
But if you’re really having a tough time deciding what to buy, you should try on the wares first. This is what the Zenith Watches app is offering users. The luxury Swiss watchmaker has incorporated an augmented reality program into their iPhone app to allow customers to “try on” their timepieces by creating composite images of your wrist and the watches.
These are but a few examples of digital marketing being widely used in the luxury industry. It really does reach wider audiences because apps are mostly available to everyone for free. Although digital campaigns cannot work optimally on their own, they’re a great way to complement a comprehensive communications strategy. This makes it possible for markets beyond the targeted ones to have a taste of a brand and its values, which may eventually translate into higher sales.
If you’re a customer of a follower of any of the four luxury brands mentioned here and would like to keep updated on their latest offerings, download their respective free apps from the Apple App Store.