Alessandra Volterra is a knowledgeable luxury digital marketing professional. Driven by her strong interest, and the capability to leave her comfort zone, she has studied and operated in the United States, China and Switzerland in the luxury items market.
Currently dealing with 360 ° digital velocity and seeking advice from projects at Digital Luxury Group (DLG), Alessandra assists luxury watch brand names construct an impactful and unique online presence as well as a smooth user experience throughout all digital channels.
In the convenience and security of our respective houses, I chatted with Alessandra about her work, her experiences in China, and her views on the future of luxury digital marketing.
In high-end digital marketing, wonder, be reactive and try various things
GBN: What is your function at DLG?
Volterra: I am presently a Digital Marketing Task Manager at Digital High-end Group. We are a firm specialized in offering customized digital options to high-end brand names. We have our head office here in Geneva and other offices in Shanghai and New York City.
We have a large customer portfolio covering different industries, among others: style, watches and jewellery, beauty, spirits, and hospitality.
On my side, I am mainly concentrating on customers in the high-end watch market and I coordinate different projects in order to deliver transversal digital services to them. I attempt to address their requirements when it comes, for circumstances, to improving their interaction and social networks strategy, optimizing their website or analyzing the data gathered from all touchpoints. We likewise work on UX to optimize site navigation and boost conversions.
What is UX and how to optimize it?
“UX” is short for user experience. It is mainly associated to the navigation and journey a visitor has on a site. DLG has an unique collaboration with Contentsquare for high-end brands in Switzerland. Contentsquare is a UX analytics tool based on AI and utilized by many brands. I am certified in the tool so I can run different types of analysis and after that provide actionable recommendations to my clients.
To put it simply: we analyze how individuals browse, where they click, where they think twice and attempt to enhance their navigation experience.When we see that on a certain web page of our client, a big space is taken up by something that no one clicks, we would then inform the customer: you ought to put this other component here; perhaps alter its color, its format so that individuals click more. If we see that individuals are being reluctant on one page and they don’t know where to click, we require to modify the structure of the page.
This tool is specifically helpful on e-commerce sites. If we have customers who sell their items online, of course, they want their users to have a smooth journey on the website simply like they have in their offline boutiques. If a user is putting items in and out of his shopping cart or does not settle a purchase, we need to comprehend why. We will require to ensure that every step is clear and smooth up until the last deal.
What is a website that is succeeding with UX technique?
There are some fascinating websites, such as Rolex. I also wrote a post about it when they revamped their main site. I felt it was extremely easy to use in terms of navigation, with clear filters and thematic pages that assist you find your products much faster. You can see my article about it on the website.
In your opinion, do you believe that high-end brands know the need to improve their website or e-commerce site?
From what I am seeing, luxury brands are a bit behind in regards to everything that is digital, in contrast to mass-market brand names such as Nike or Adidas. Now they are slowly starting to be a growing number of familiar with the requirements of their clients online, but it takes some time for them to adapt. I believe that more time needs to be invested on data analysis and screening compared to what luxury brands are doing today. By screening, I indicate AB screening for a site or for a paid activation. For example, we present different content versions (A, B etc.) to different users and see, through the data, if they preferred option A or alternative B. In this method, we can discover more about a user’s preferences and provide better experiences to them in the future.
How do you increase a luxury merchant’s online presence?
As retailers may offer different brand names and might differ in regards to digital understanding, it is necessary to maintain an aligned brand name image across markets. I, for that reason, assist my customers to develop a strong online technique for their retailers.
This could consist of content production, so that all sellers have access to top quality, upgraded branded content for both their websites and their social media networks.
We likewise aid with their online search engine technique– paid search (SEA) and organic search (SEO)– in order to increase their presence when individuals are browsing for a local address.
Furthermore, we attempt to empower merchants digitally by supporting them with training and digital tools such as live control panels with actionable insights so that they can have a much better understanding of their digital efficiency and optimize it.
“In my opinion, search and social are 2 various channels that are both very crucial to think about in order to have a strong and complete digital method.”
How do you rate the value of social networks versus SEO?
In my opinion, search and social are 2 various channels that are both really essential to consider in order to have a strong and complete digital technique.
Take SEO for example people use online search engine, such as Google, at different phases of their acquiring funnel. Are they checking out the net to identify which see to buy? Are they searching for a specific model? As a brand, it is essential to appear at all these phases with dedicated content. The site must, therefore, be visible for different search queries and directly respond to particular user requires For instance, display the product X with its cost and functions.
On the other hand, social networks is more utilized for finding inspiration and engage with the brands. Take Instagram for example. It is an exceptional channel to showcase brand storytelling with gorgeous pictures and imaginative content. Brand names can truly broaden their universe, their history, their savoir-faire on social platforms, while users can easily engage with this kind of content.
Will there be less physical stores for high-end brand names? Will their function alter?
I believe so. For the moment, a lot of high-end luxury brands are not ready to step totally into online selling. The experience provided in an offline shop is just not replaceable online yet.
I do think that the confinement due to Coronavirus in some way changed individuals’s purchasing practices, ending up being more inclined to purchase online. I also saw long lines outside of high-end shops such as the Louis Vuitton shop in Geneva, simply a couple of days after the easing of the confinement. This shows that individuals still desire this sort of service that you can just experience offline.
I still believe that in the future high-end boutiques will require to transform themselves, becoming more experience-based. Customers would not just go there to store, however to be immersed in deep space of the brand, with digital as a great addition to the offline world.
What’s it like operating in China (such as work routines, and cultural distinctions)?
It is extremely various but I really liked it. I initially went to China as an exchange trainee: it is a nation that is growing quickly, the digital landscape there is extremely complicated and the high-end industry is flourishing so I thought that it was a great opportunity for me to be familiar with more about it.
After my studies, I likewise wished to have a working experience there so I went on to join a local e-commerce company in Suzhou (a city next to Shanghai). The very first month was very hard due to the fact that the other Chinese associates would not communicate with me, probably due to the worry of language and cultural differences. Nevertheless, I was the one making the primary step to speak with them in Chinese. In the end, we ended up being truly buddies, which was amazing and also facilitated our work.
I likewise noticed that Chinese companies are very hierarchical. A great deal of staff members did not dare to discuss with their supervisors even when they were experiencing some obstacles in their task. This was quite surprising for me as I always thought that communication was key.
In China, whatever relocations actually quickly. What I discovered remarkable is that people do not develop comprehensive methods to do things, jobs are done quickly and in a more “spontaneous” way. When individuals come across some issues, they will simply find fast services to rapidly carry on. Here in Switzerland, whatever always has to be completely prepared before it can be carried out. This most likely produces lasting options in the end, however whatever relocations much slower. If we might combine these 2 approaches together, taking the good parts of both countries, it could be a great balance and a winning technique to accomplish things in a quick but dependable way.
Was there anything that shocked you when you were residing in China?
I think that the most “stunning” thing for me was the Chinese digital universe. In China, you can basically do whatever with your cellphone and you have a lot of apps that can do many things, it’s incredible. I was very shocked to see how easily individuals might acquire things like expensive high-end items with a couple of clicks while being tired on a bus. This country is so dynamic that it actually provides you the concept that you can develop anything and make it a success.
What is the difference between Chinese customers and Western clients when they are purchasing high-end items?
Chinese consumers used to buy high-end products more for the purpose of flaunting their buying power. Today, they are ending up being more and more advanced and they desire to have more unique experiences. They are likewise much younger than their Western counterparts. In the online world, digital material developed for Chinese customers is really different compared to Western styles. The content for Chinese customers that can be discovered on is much more insightful, more imaginative, and dynamic than an Instagram post we see here in Europe. Chinese clients constantly expect unique treatments from the brand names. For instance, interactive mini-programs on Wechat, activations for the May 20 celebration, and so on.
Moreover, Chinese consumers still purchase many high-end items when taking a trip abroad. For example, a Chinese woman would feel prouder that she purchased a Louis Vuitton bag when she was traveling in Paris than merely purchasing the exact same bag in her hometown. It showcases a type of worldwide, high-end lifestyle that is not budget-friendly by everyone.
What about the power of online influencers on digital marketing in China?
For the event of SIHH 2019, we welcomed 2 style influencers from China. That was where I saw in reality the power of Chinese KOLs (Secret Viewpoint Leaders). I did a live streaming with among them on a Chinese Live platform for one hour. The reach of the influencer was truly remarkable: the live was watched by over 13 million Chinese online users.
“… it is very important to be really reactive: follow the market news and know new patterns.”
With the pandemic and present economic situation, a great deal of companies want someone who’s capable of doing a lot of things. What would you recommend for an unskilled digital marketing specialist to discover more about digital marketing?
I believe that in our field of occupation it is hard to discover somebody who understands whatever, merely due to the fact that the digital environment is actually changing every day. It is essential to be very reactive: follow the industry news and be aware of new trends. I follow a lot of high-end brand names on my Instagram in my complimentary time and it helps me to find motivation as well as good/bad practices when I have to deliver social media advice.
Also, try to look beyond the industry and market you are working in. For me, China is a lot more digitally advanced than what we can do in the West, that’s why I focus on what people are performing in China and attempt to use some innovative concepts here.
With the present scenario after the Covid-19, we don’t know what is going to take place for sure. For that reason, if you are a junior digital marketing specialist, wonder, reactive, and push for innovation. If you are a brand, make certain to experiment with various things without waiting too long and without only benchmarking to your direct competitors.
We want to thank Alessandra Volterra for her time speaking with us about luxury digital marketing.
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