synopsis of the club e-luxe international summit 2014 · 2014-06-17 · augmented reality...

©2014 Luxe Corp. All rights reserved. Synopsis of the Club e-Luxe International Summit held on Thursday 5

th June 2014 in Paris, France. Property of Luxe Corp. 21 rue Cambon, Paris 75001, France, T: +33

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Synopsis of the Club e-Luxe International Summit 2014

Virtual +Physical Luxury: Striking a Balance Between High-Tech and High-Touch

The line between the virtual world and the physical world is disappearing every second. Today’s luxury

clients are likely to begin their journey with a brand online and end it offline and vice versa. Their

habits have evolved from simply “window-shopping” or “browsing” to tagging, snapping, pinging,

sharing, rating and recommending. Their smart phones have become their second skin and their

digital pulse beats louder and faster than their heart rates. They have become more real in the virtual

world yet their physical existence is unreal without their digital connections. This is the new world of

real + virtual immersion and it is the world in which the current luxury consumer exists.

This new order of affairs has created a new status quo for luxury brands and is ushering in a renewed

digital existence where the integration of the online and offline channels has become mandatory. The

luxury sector must not only refine its business models to ensure cross-channel optimization but must

also co-exist with an increasingly savvy clientele who have become impatient for extraordinary digital-

inspired experiences both in the virtual and physical worlds. The way forward seems to be daunted

with more questions than answers.

The recently held Club e-Luxe International Summit which took place on 5th

June 2014 in Paris

strategically dissected these challenges and revealed solutions and answers through unparalleled

insight, deep analysis, knowledge and direction to luxury companies seeking to outpace their

contemporaries through digital innovation.

During this stimulating full-day event, Presentations, Live DEMOs, Debates, Roundtables and Luxury

Leader Conversations were made by some of the finest digital luxury experts, analysts, inventors,

developers, designers and executors, led by Luxe Corp’s team of Business Experts.




The highly successful Club e-Luxe International Summit hosted by Luxe Corp brought together a

team of renowned experts from the digital, technology and luxury worlds to address diverse topics

related to the event’s theme of “Virtual + Physical Luxury - Striking a Balance Between High-

Tech and High-Touch”. This theme led to presentations, live demos, debates and workshops around

the topics of Digital Trends, E-Commerce & V-Commerce, Wearable Technology, Virtual Reality,

SEO Strategies, Social Media Metrics, Interactive Connected Technology, Mobile Media, Luxury

E-Consumer and much more.

The event began with a presentation by Uché Okonkwo-Pézard, Luxe Corp’s Executive Director &

Founder. The Presentation on the topic of “Uncovering the Digital Media Trends 2014 – 2015”

focused on highlighting the different manners in which digital media, technology and innovation are

being fully and seamlessly integrated in every facet of the lives of individuals. She demonstrated that

digital technology is no longer separate from people but is now a part of people and their lives. She

also showed several examples of how technology is enhancing and shaping the human psychology,

behaviour, expectations and existence, from communications to lifestyle, beauty, healthcare and even

utilities.




Some of the key points of the presentation are the following.

The trends that will define the evolution of digital media are not about the “technology” but

about the “people” using these technologies. This is because digital media is re-shaping

human psychology, refining the access to information and people, re-defining Human Rights

and also re-modelling people’s lives including life expectancy.

After almost 25 years of the existence of the internet, users have matured and they now feel

entitled to certain “rights” on the web, including the “right to wear technology” and the “right to

be forgotten”, among others.

Consumers are also expecting to be able to “connect everything” in their lives including their

homes, cars, offices, health services, communications, entertainment and even their luggage

while travelling. There is a real need for seamless digital experiences.

A major expectation of consumers is “design-based” technology focusing not only on

functionality but on aesthetics and experiences.

People also now have the tools and skills to “create” their own technology-based products and

experiences, such as the 3D Printable jewellery and the Home Make-Up Printer




The second presentation was made by Jennifer Tidy of Modiface on the topic of “Merging the

Physical + Virtual World of Luxury through Virtual Reality Tools”. The Presentation focused on the

tools that enable the customers to virtually try-on makeup, skin-care products and accessories,

developed on the back of facial recognition technology based on 10 years of academic research. The

tool which realistically simulates any makeup texture or finish is also able to visually demonstrate

clinical data on a customer’s own photo and project this in 3D format, all in real time.


Augmented Reality technology has greatly impacted the beauty industry in an unprecedented

way and is poised to become the biggest booster of beauty businesses in the near future.

By the end of 2014, majority of Fortune 500 beauty brands will embrace 3D technology.

Augmented Reality in the beauty sector is essential as a new native ad technology to boost

engagement for brands.

The use of the Augmented Reality tool created by Modiface for L’Oreal was acknowledged to

be one of the company’s most effective 2012 digital marketing initiatives.

The tool can feature multiple functions ranging from digital skin diagnostics and unique skin-

care recommendations to multiple product testing, visualization and sharing. The tool also

enables other specific uses such as how to show the unique effect of a product after use

including hair relaxing, styling, and colour products.

The tool is great for retail settings and events, where it is recommended to utilize a 3D

augmented reality mirror for 3D Photo Realistic viewing.

• For long term consumer engagement, it is recommended to create a fully branded and fully

customized mobile augmented reality application.

The third presentation was made by Philippe Lepron of MovingDesign on the topic of “Digital Visual

Poetry as means to 360°Digital Integration for Luxury”. The Presentation emphasized on the

importance of applying emotions to the luxury narrative through “digital poetry”. This approach is

defined by a “digital object dialogue” in the public sphere. It utilizes an appeal on the senses and

emotions through using the eye as a point of contact and a market for visual references at any time

without any principle of narration. Technology is used as a channel for the projection of this emotional

dialogue.





People are exposed to hundreds of screens daily and they tend not to see them anymore as

these screens evoke nothing much. Digital visual poetry offers new material for architects

which makes the image a living material in the world of luxury across several products and

services.

Image in motion has strong influences on the sub-conscious mind. Luxury brands ought to ask

the question of what is the role of the image in motion in public spaces?

It is possible to use digital objects in public spaces to engage and influence consumers in an

active way and not in a passive manner.

The seamless integration of designer digital solutions within luxury spaces can be achieved

through focusing on the following areas

Emotional digital signature

Visual poetry

Emotional corporate statement

The approach could also be expressed in multiple products and services categories to create

an emotional sensation, from fashion and accessories to beauty and fragrance, chocolate and

café, hotels and spas etc.

The fourth presentation was made by Lisa White of WGSN on the topic of “Experience Design in the

Virtual & Physical Luxury Space”. The Presentation focused on the essential intangible aspects of the

luxury experience ranging from consumer evolution to trends, technology and lifestyle.


Ten key areas were explored by the presentation as follows. Each of these aspects explored

the way consumers access and experience both luxury and several aspects of lifestyle,

entertainment, design, retail, activities and other aspects of their lives through which they draw

inspirations.

– The Showroom Experience

– Furniture Experience

– Personal Experience

– Immersive Experience

– Full-Body Experience

– Sensorial Experience

– Retail Experience




– Emotional Digital

– Tangible Technology

– The Unboxing Experience

The earliest adopters of experiential design are festivals, especially music festivals

People don't want to be treated as users. They want experience, they want to be surprised,

they want to be wowed. They want to be transported in a way. They want experiences that

give goose bumps.

Sensorial experiences where multiple senses are stimulated & engaged at once is the next

step in luxury communications. A range of desktop & mobile accessories are now enabling us

to translate these experiences to digital.

The fifth presentation was made by Sarah Brault Segre-Amar of MyKronoz on the topic of “The

Emergence of Luxury Wearable Technology (Techcessories) – What Luxury Brands Must Know Now”.

The Presentation was an unprecedented highlight of an emerging phenomenon in both digital media

and luxury in the form of wearable technology. As part of the team behind one of the first companies to

embark on creating high-aesthetic and highly-functional smart watches, MyKronoz was able to

highlight the importance of integrating digital features in luxury products to meet the expectations of an

already “digitalized” clientele.

The main highlights of the presentation are the following.

Wearable Technology has come to stay and there is no more going back. Their presence in

luxury and digital media is similar to the arrival of the internet. The future digital landscape is

dotted with wearable technology devices and luxury brands cannot escape this phenomenon.

Wearable technology are devices designed to expand or enhance a wearer's experience not

only with other people but with the brand. Once luxury brands understand this, they will see all

the opportunities that wearable tech can offer.

Wearable Technology mediates the interaction between users and their immediate

environments. This means being hyper-connected digitally on a permanent basis. They

amplify the lives of users and help them do things faster, quicker and easier.

The shift in wearable devices is from single function to cross function. The scope of

application of the device has been enhanced




Wearables are causing a re-thinking of the boundaries of the body, material science and

digital technology; and creating new forms of interpersonal as well as brand to consumers

interactions.

Wearables started as far back as 1975 with the calculator wrist watches by HP, Pulsar &

Casio. Today this technology is being pushed forward by the likes of Nike, Samsung and

Google.

In the near future, 1 in 20 smartphones will be connected to a smart watch. The global annual

wearable device unit shipments will surpass 100 million in 2014, and reach 300 million units in

5 years.

The sixth presentation was a Roundtable session by Fflur Roberts of Euromonitor, Swaady Martin-Leke of Yswara and Sebastien Moraldo of Comscore. The session was moderated by Uche Okonkwo of Luxe Corp.The topic of the session was “Who is the Luxury E-Consumer of Today and What Drives their Psyche?” The session focused on providing insights on the psychology, behaviours, interests, expectations and habits of online consumers specifically in the key luxury markets of South America, Africa, North America and the Middle East. A dedicated video clip on the Chinese online consumer has also been provided.




The main highlights of the session are the following.

Latin America luxury online sales have grown by over 1000% since 2004. This is fuelled

mainly by Brazil and Mexico but also Chile, Peru and Colombia.

For Latin America, the online luxury consumers are relatively young, with a higher education

background and high wealth level and access.

Price, availability, product information and convenience are the major drivers of e-commerce

in Latin America. Several brands also offer financial plans with the possibility of instalment

payments, although this remains mostly confidential. Also Brazil's import tariffs encourage

online shopping.




Africa is ripe for luxury online shopping but there is a major challenge of logistics and

infrastructure for transport. It costs ten times more to move goods within Africa than to

transport goods from Europe to Africa. For luxury brands in Africa, if you cannot ship your

products, you'll lose your opportunity.

African luxury culture is quite similar to India’s, with a strong tradition of dressing and a habit

for grooming and looking good. People are image-conscious and when they want a product

they want it now. They’re very much influenced by brand names and also access to products

and collections.

North American luxury consumers are very similar to European consumers in behaviour and

expectations of luxury online shopping although they tend to be early adopters of technology.

In North American, luxury consumers are influenced by the social discourse related to

products and brands, in making their purchase choices and decisions. Recommendations and

ratinga are important to them.

Unlike in latin America where access to luxury products and pricing are key decision-making

factors, the North American luxury consumer is also seeking engagement with the brands, in

the form of entertainment, interactive content, social sharing and other collaborative means.

Luxury consumers worldwide are united in their attraction to the finest products but when

online,they tend to be influnced by several factors ranging from choices, services, access etc.




Following the several illuminating presentations, demos and interactive sessions by inspirational

experts, Luxe Corp took the audience into its traditional Spotlights and Highlights experiences which

featured a Raffle Draw during which two lucky participants won highly innovative and aesthetic

models of Smart Watches by MyKronoz, the Swiss luxury smart watch brand currently

revolutionizing connectivity between the watch and smart devices.

In addition each participant received Gift Bags containing a selection of the “Art of Skincare” range

generously offered by renowned French lifestyle & beauty brand DIPTYQUE; as well as a luxury tea

blend cordially offered by YSWARA, the first authentic luxury brand from Africa.




Also in keeping with Luxe Corp’s now renowned tradition, the participants were able to interact with

the impressive digital installations at the Digital Suite, which featured remarkable Multi-Touch

Interactive Screens and Applications by InteractiveBox, the foremost Italian company that specializes

in advanced next generation digital interactive tools.

The participants were also treated to a buffet gastronomic lunch meal by the famed Michelin-star chef

of Hotel Park Hyatt Vendome, Paris, France.




The seventh presentation was made by Pierre de Grandmaison of Teads on the topic of “Unveiling

Interactive Connected Media Today”. The presentation focused on presenting a new manner of digital

communications through video content diffusion on active screens. This mode, powered by the Teads

platform enables luxury brands to pay for video advertisements only when the videos are fully viewed.

The viewing of the videos are made possible through a unique tool that enables the activation of video

content embedded in online articles only when the page is in full view of the user and the screen is

active.


TV budgets are shifting to digital videos and luxury brands need to find a unique way of

engaging with their clients through video adverts. Already it is estimated that 50% of online

ads by 2015 will have an element of video in them.

People spend 28.3 hours browsing media sites, newspapers, blogs etc per month. This

represents a real opportunity for luxury brands.

Teads is a fast growing video ads platform that enables companies to diffuse video-based

online advertisement campaigns that are active only when in full view of the online user. This

functions through a technology called “InRead” which ensures outstream of videos on the

basis of view-to-play. This is a game changer in the video advert industry.

Teads proposes premium video ads online at scale. Teads is ranked ahead of Facebook for

video inventory in France.

Most companies are trapped in measuring online ad impressions that are neither accurate nor

visible long enough. The Teads platform takes online advert accuracy to a new level as it only

measures impressions on the basis of “ads viewed”, meaning that only fully viewed adverts

are measured and not those viewed halfway or for a few seconds. Most users skip ads and

Teads doesn’t count these users.




The ninth presentation was made by Lauren Luxenberg and Michelle Athersmith of 4Ps Marketing

on the topic of “Search Engine Optimization as a Brand Building Tool Beyond the Basics”. The

presentation focused on highlighting the importance of SEO for luxury brands online presence from

the perspectives of search, content, positioning, reputation management and brand enhancement. It

also provided insights on the impact of social media on SEO and how luxury brands can navigate the

world of digital content from the multiple angles of images, videos, multi-media, social media and

mobile media.


On average there are 6 billion searches online everyday. Nearly half of all website traffic

comes from natural search.

In order for luxury brands to be excellently positioned online, they must understand publishers.

On average if a brand increases its online traffic by approximately 50%, it is likely to increase

its revenue by approximately 150%.

In content development and SEO, the main aspects to pay attention to are Navigation; Site

search; On-site content; Hidden e-Commerce; Text as Images.

The online Conversion Path for SEO are: Awareness - Consideration – Conversion.

Both SEO and consumers have evolved. The traditional SEO measurement metrics are now

obsolete and major emphasis is being given to Content Strategy.

4Ps Marketing have been monitoring the online search performance of luxury brands and 71%

of brands monitored saw either a decrease or no change during fashion week. This is

problematic as the fashion week is supposed to be the peak online activity of luxury fashion

brands.

Luxury brands need to make sure their websites are answering the questions that customers

are searching for. Their content strategy should integrate both online and offline content




The final presentation was made by Sophie Eggermont of Engagor on the topic of “Social Media

Value Creation – Tools and Metrics for Maximizing Performance”. The presentation focused on

providing insights and recommendations on the tactics and strategies for maximizing the social media

conversations by luxury clients and the social media activities of luxury brands.


Apart from building brand awareness and customer support, communicating via social media

is also relevant for preparing the customers of the future and engaging them in the world of

the brand in advance.

Social media is a fast moving world. Luxury brands need to act and react accurately and fast

and shouldn’t be trapped in acting and reaching out when something goes wrong!

Also the impact of social media should be maximized with value-added efforts from PR,

Marketing, HR.

Luxury brands should be concerned about three main issues when choosing social media

platforms: 1. monitoring 2. engagement 3. analytics

The Engagor platform enables luxury brands measure the contents, quality and impact of

social media conversations about their brands in real time.

The platform is available in multiple languages and monitors the entire web.

Engagor is offering all Club e-Luxe participants a free 2 weeks trial of the Engagor platform.

Email [email protected] for access and how to get started.

Tip for luxury brands going on social media: Have fun but stay authentic!




The Club e-Luxe International Summit was made even more interactive by the participation of

Interactive Box, a privately owned technological firm headquartered in Trieste, Italy. The company was

created by Technology Experts with the purpose of developing, producing and distributing interactive

touch & multi-touch solutions (Hardware & Software) for clients The company provides a wide range

of services such as: Interactive software development, custom interactive hardware production, R&D

and testing services, Professional consulting, Interactive public display integration & distribution. The

advanced multi-touch hardware and software solutions can be used in numerous sectors including

Defense & Security, retail, medical imaging, education, broadcast & telecommunication. The company

also delivers and distributes an innovative range of off the shelf interactive products of tactile multi-

touch mobile solution and a wide range of professional multi-touch LCD - LED displays ready for

integration.




The Club e-Luxe International Summit was also supported by DIPTYQUE which generously offered

gift bags to all participants. Inspired by ancestral rites and rare raw materials from diverse towns, The

Art of Body Care line invites you on a sensual, luxurious and elegant journey. Depending on your

mood, each product can be tried alone, or applied freely with the others, their scents perfectly

combining without interfering with the fragrance of your eau de toilette. A selection of four products,

Smoothing Body Polish, Revitalizing Shower Gel, Fresh Lotion for the Body and the Luxurious Hand

Balm are presented in a white box, illustrated with the ovals highlighting the main ingredient of each

scents. A travel set, like a sensorial journey designed to do the soul good.

The Club e-Luxe International Summit was additionally supported by YSWARA which generously

offered gift bags to all participants. Launched in December 2012, by Swaady Martin-Leke, who was

inspired by her passion for African cultures, arts and traditions and the upliftment of its communities,

her vision was to capture true African luxury in a contemporary way. There is a magic to Africa of

which its craftsmanship and inspiration are at the very foundation of luxury. YSWARA celebrates the

richness of African cultural heritage in a vital and contemporary way. The brand is born from Swaady’s

desire to preserve, safeguard, enhance and promote the extremely diverse and rich African

craftsmanship, culture and history. YSWARA supports some of Africa’s top creative talents and

believe in an authentic African luxury marrying both economic and social values.




The Club e-Luxe International Summit ended with a champagne cocktail reception where guests were

able to network, interact with the technologies in the digital suite and carry on passionate discussions

on different aspects of digital luxury.

The next Club e-Luxe event will be the Club e-Luxe Breakfast Seminar to be held in January 2015

in Paris. As is now the tradition, the event will be fully curated by LUXE CORP and will gather

renowned digital experts to share the most relevant digital tools and innovations with luxury

executives, as well as offer insight and solutions for the most challenging related digital issues facing

the industry.

To read the full live Twitter coverage of the Club e-Luxe International Summit event, see #eluxe on

Twitter or simply follow Luxe Corp on twitter at www.twitter.com/Luxecorp

To stay connected with Club e-Luxe, visit the Luxe Corp website: www.luxe-corp.com

Luxe Corp wishes to thank the following companies for their support in making the Club e-Luxe

International Summit a success!

synopsis of the club e-luxe international summit 2014 · 2014-06-17 · augmented reality...

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