Lauren Indvik at Forbes disects an international survey by Forrester Research and notes purveyors of luxury goods haven’t been quick to embrace social media, or even allow their prized products to be sold online.
“We have an exclusive network of over 400 retailers but that cannot work online,” Jean-Claude Biver, chief executive of Hublot, said at Reuters Global Luxury Summit last summer. “When you are online, you are not exclusive anymore.”
Many high-end retailers are also shunning Facebook and Twitter, refusing to give up any control over how their brands are perceived.
“It’s like going to someone else’s party and talking to people there, versus throwing your own catwalk show where you control the invites,” [social media director Matt] Rhodes said. “On your own domain, you can curate an experience for people; on Facebook, you are opening the gates … to discussions you don’t [necessarily] want.”
Read Indvik’s piece at Forbes.com and let us know if retailers’ forays into social media have affected your shopping habits in the comments section below.
