The Voyage range by Chanel is best described by the founder herself in two central brand values, Coco Chanel once said “Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future” and “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury”.
The combination of elegance and comfort is exactly what one needs when traveling the world, the women who would most benefit from the range are professionals with a taste for luxury. Chanel’s popularity soared in the 1920’s, representing the professional woman who gained female independence, took part in wartime efforts and finally won the right to vote. Sixty years on and Karl Lagerfield reinvented the brand in ingenious ways to appeal to a younger demographic. In the present day, Chanel fashion shows have incorporated models that not only showcase clothing designs but represent traits of elegance, youth and playfulness. Looking closely at the spring/summer 2013 line, models such as Cara Delevingne took centre stage reinforcing the ideal of this new Chanel. The Voyage tote along with the Dossier appeal to the new generation of women, those who embody the elegance and vivacity of the 1920’s flapper era in the modern-day.
Figure 1 segmentation of target market
The ‘Millennial’ generation now possess higher disposable income says The Luxury Institute’s Milton Pedraza, meaning 18-28 year olds are increasingly investing in new technologies and travel. Through our product launch we aim to bring together consumer travel patterns and their dependence on technology. As the modern Chanel has become an aspirational brand for many people, a glamorous launch party with celebrities that embody Chanel brand values would be an appropriate way to begin the Voyage a Chanel product launch. The target demographics for many luxury brands and retailers will surely shift, to include a much younger, tech savvy individual which is why we include online retailers such as Net-A-Porter under our radar.
Figure 2 – Net-A-Porter’s “Global Audience” NET-A-PORTER. Available at: https://www.net-a-porter.com/nap/content/2011/images/pdfs/net-a-porter_media_information.pdf
In order to capture the attention of our target demographic of professionals between the ages of 20-30 we have decided to make the tote bag an online exclusive to Net-A-Porter. As the only online luxury retailer to publish its own fashion magazine, blurring the lines between online and offline sales and marketing. Therefore a month long product exclusivity would be an innovative move for Chanel, as Chanel has never had its own e-commerce site and only sells its beauty and fragrance line online. Even though the age of the typical shopper is slightly higher than our target market, we expect this to change as women are aspiring to be career women and to possess luxury goods. An interview undertaken in 2012 with Bruno Pavlovsky who leads Chanel’s global fashion business predicts that Chanel will move onto selling more of its product range in two years to keep up with the digitalisation of the world. However, it is still important to hold on to Chanel brand values and not adapt so much that they lose their brand identity “What we want today — and the way we use digital — is to have more and more people come to the boutique to see the product, to touch the product, but also to try the product” in order to reinforce the tailor-made uniqueness of Chanel, stated by Pavlovsky.
Figure 3 -Satisfaction, Trust and Commitment in Consumer Relationships with Online Retailers Model. Wagner, J., Rydstrom, G. 2001. E-Europe Advances in Consumer Research. Volume 5, p 276-281. Available at: http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=11227 [Accessed 9th April 2014]
Faw,L. 2012. Meet the Millenial1%: Young, Rich, and Redifining Luxury. Forbes [e-journal] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2012/10/02/meet-the-millennial-1-young-rich-and-redefining-luxury/ [Accessed 9th April 2014]
Net-A-Porter media information. NET-A-PORTER. Available at: https://www.net-a-porter.com/nap/content/2011/images/pdfs/net-a-porter_media_information.pdf [Accessed 9th April 2014]
Kansara, V. A. 2013. Lucy Yeomans Says it’s Time to Change the Rules of Fashion Media. Business of Fashion [e-journal] Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/02/the-long-view-lucy-yeomans.html [Acessesed 9th April 2014]
Amed, I. 2012. CEO Talk: Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion, Chanel. Business of Fashion. Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/10/ceo-talk-bruno-pavlovsky-president-of-fashion-chanel.html [Accessed 9th April 2014]
Wagner, J., Rydstrom, G. 2001. Satisfaction, Trust and Commitment in Consumer Relationships with Online Retailers Model. E-Europe Advances in Consumer Research. Volume 5, p 276-281. Available at: http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=11227 [Accessed 9th April 2014]
Voyage à Chanel 