Digital marketing and digital retail strategies in the luxury sector: Critical factors and opportunities

Contemporary marketing strategies have shifted from unidirectional to bidirectional logic, according to which the rise of digitization and of social networks is changing the concept of marketing itself. The most impactful digital technologies have been digital platforms and brand communities, which have exposed companies and consumers alike to new challenges, such as online purchasing experiences. As a result, luxury retailers, who have traditionally resisted rapid adoption of market trends, have begun embracing digitization as part of their marketing strategies. This chapter highlights how understanding this topic is crucial amid changing global economics that are reshaping how luxury consumers interact with retailers. Through a qualitative approach based on semi-structured one-to-one interviews with experts from a leading digital marketing company, this chapter intends to illustrate the critical factors (and related opportunities) that luxury brands will look to exploit in the near future. The results highlight the pervading separation between digital technology and luxury brands.