Tech and touch: How to boost the luxury customer experience

The death of luxury retail has been repeatedly predicted since the advent of the internet. However, luxury retail has defied such predictions, with brick-and-mortar stores maintaining dominance. These physical locations have taken on more dynamic roles that go beyond simple transactions, transforming into experiential spaces curated by retail teams who serve as strategic customer experience creators.

In her The Future of Luxury Customer Experience. How to Create High-Value, Personalized Omnichannel Experiences, Gabriella Lojacono, Director of SDA Bocconi’s Executive Master in Luxury Management (EMiLUX), navigates the future of luxury experiences, offering insights beyond current market trends and consumer behavior. It acknowledges that, while the specific brand preferences of future generations are uncertain, the universal appeal of being delighted, inspired by arts and culture, and feeling emotionally connected will remain constant.

To profile and segment customers effectively, brands must go beyond basic information and leverage advanced profiling techniques. Major luxury brands have invested in technology and data science projects, underscoring a collective industry recognition of the value of integrated technological solutions to stay relevant in today’s digital world. This shift towards technology marks a fundamental transformation in the luxury sector, requiring new competencies and open-mindedness to succeed in a landscape that values inclusivity and experience-led strategies.

A central theme in the book is the integration of human touch with technology, designed to create seamless retail experiences that bridge the digital and physical worlds. This strategy draws on the author’s previous work examining the resilience of luxury brands, enhanced through Experience-Led Strategy (ELS). Extensive interaction with luxury companies, along with insights gained from the Executive Master in Luxury Management (EMiLUX) at SDA Bocconi School of Management and diverse luxury-focused courses, contributes to the book’s rich empirical foundation.

All of the book is authored by Professor Lojacono, except for six chapters, written by technical experts specializing in their respective fields: SDA Bocconi’s Stefania Carraro and Laura Ru Yun Pan and professionals Cyrille Vigneron and Guido Tirone.

• Publisher: KoganPage 
• Publication date: August 2024 
• ISBN: 1398615455
• Pages: 344 
• Format: print, digital

For more information and to purchase this book CLICK HERE.

GABRIELLA LOJACONO is Associate Professor of International Management and Luxury Management at Università Bocconi and SDA Bocconi School of Management and Director of the Executive Master in Luxury Management (EMiLUX). She is Strategic Adviser for B4I, a catalyst for the most innovative and high potential ideas and startups of Bocconi University.