15 Jun Luxury Brands Should Be Very iPad Focused
Mobile has taken ahold among the average user and its use is as common as chewing a stick of gum these days. Within this sea of digital eyes there is a of course the affluent buyer, and they now have a target on their back. We’ve not only seen the increase in mobile marketing demand, we’ve experienced it developing mobile apps and content over the past few years.
Recent studies showcase that the affluent user is most typically found using an iPad and other Apple products more commonly. While it seemed the trend of cool in the mobile world shifting towards Samsung’s Galaxy, the wealthy customer is still sticking with the idevices. I don’t blame them despite me being the newest but last Mac user in Team Luxury Branded.
To App Or Not To App?
We say App! We’ve worked with a handful of real estate brokerages, yacht charter companies, hotels and ecommerce companies create beautiful shopping experiences. There are still a lot of luxury brands out there not in tune with providing a mobile experience through their website, so this is where you can win with an app. We’ve luckily had a lot of feedback and user experience data to have seen insane amounts of sales through a mobile experience.
Notice how Apple’s graph starts before anyone else? Being there first with a great product will go a long way, and that’s something to keep in mind. Take a look around your end of the luxury industry and see who’s marketing specifically with an app, and if no one is, jump on that now.
Most of our clients we’ve worked with that started with the iPad app ended up bleeding over into the Android and BlackBerry app world as well. What does this mean? Mobile is here to stay.
Create To Inspire
If you’re going to take a stab at the mobile app market please heed my warning. Create an app that is nothing short of amazing! You want to well represent your brand and of course turn those iPad users into customers whether that be now or later over time. I make sure to tell our clients to talk to their team as well as their customer base on what they would want to see in their app. Hell, you could even reach out via social media and start building buzz before you even start!
One major downfall we see with clients who don’t keep an updated app experience, so another aspect to think about is how often will your app get updated? At the very least we hope that they can be touched up with fresh content quarterly, especially if you’re focusing on ecommerce. Go with the seasonal trends as well push sales and promotions heavily through the app because you have the power of push notifications.
Brilliant Examples In Action
YachtEye by Oculus Technologies
This is one of my favorite iPad apps that I’ve seen and it’s a great first example to start getting you excited about possibilities. There are so many out there already so please check out these examples to get an idea of what’s possible, and what has of course already been done.
– the JetSetter iPad app is an amazing luxury travel experience
– I love the Robb Report Watch Collector iPad app for browsing watches
– A luxury real estate magazine app done only for Douglas Elliman properties
– OMEGA has a brilliant iPad app great for shopping their products
What Do You Think?
There is some talk that apps will quickly become a thing of the past, but if that’s true there is still a lot of time to get into the market and make money. As time goes on opinions will change but we will leave the comments open below for you to let us know your thoughts. We’d especially like to hear from brands who have been actively marketing with apps to share your experience, negative or positive.
