Tiffany's Website is a Quiet Haven of Tranquility.
Computimes: Brands on the run - Glitz and glamour don't
always translate well onto the Web. Quentin Fotrell
looks at luxury goods websites, some of which are
thriving, others which have lost their sheen
September 10, 2001 1:22pm
Source: The Irish Times, September 10, 2001, Page 8
There's nothing more valuable to a luxury goods company
than brand value. Image and feel are everything.
Quality, of course, comes into the equation, too. But
whether we are buying a set of wine glasses from
Waterford Crystal or a diamond ring from Tiffany & Co,
it's the thrill of exclusivity that gives us the
familiar 'buzz' or adrenaline rush.
So how do luxury goods companies maintain their presence
on the Internet, without losing their priceless,
incalculable brand value? After all, the Web's very lack
of exclusivity has revolutionised the way the world does
business. Unfortunately, its brash colours and crassly
produced homepages don't sit well next to Prada.
For all the Web's low-brow, jingle-bell, down-and-dirty
gimmickry, even the world's most upmarket companies
cannot afford to ignore it. This presents something of a
dilemma for businesses that trade off their exclusive
status.
From an e-commerce perspective, the Internet is a victim
of its own success. It's fiercely democratic, reaching
out to the masses. But if the masses get the same
hankering for Tiffany's glittering line-up as, say, a
New York dowager whose family arrived on the Mayflower,
she may be more inclined to take her business elsewhere.
One Tiffany executive recently summed up the challenge
perfectly by saying most websites were like 'the front
page of a supermarket tabloid - 50 things going on at
once with bells ringing'. It's safe to say Tiffany.com
will not rate its '10 sexiest rings!' or expose any
jewellery-buying 'love rats' on a web cam.
Indeed, when all around it lose their heads, Tiffany's
website is a quiet haven of tranquility. It keeps its
pale blue signature colour, its font, its simplicity,
its elegance. In fact, it slows down the images of its
jewellery and other gifts so they gracefully appear on
the screen before disappearing as quietly as they
arrived.
Tiffany doesn't advertise its site in a flashy way, lest
it appears uncooth or, worse, desperate. It keeps its
static (or basic) website advertisements to the sober
online versions of the Wall Street Journal and New York
Times.
It also uses 'tiles', which are taller and slimmer than
the traditional, widely used 'banner' ads.
Versace, meanwhile, appeals to a younger, edgier crowd.
Its website attempts to do likewise, but unfortunately
uses background sounds that could only be described as
digital disco rap. Plus, as with a lot of over-excited
websites, its in-your-face style makes it difficult -
and exhausting - to navigate. But, hey, that's Versace
for you.
Waterford Wedgwood follows Tiffany's lead with a blue
and white website, but takes it further with Brady Bunch-
like panels that slowly reveal opulent photographs of
scantily clad models brandishing vases and other crystal
goblets. This sexier approach is in line with the
company's calendar and across-the-board marketing
strategy.
'Sexy isn't the word I'd use,' says a spokesman for
Waterford
Wedgwood. 'It reflects what's appealing to the consumer
and what's fashionable.' Presenting a website with
cutting-edge images helps vamp up the Waterford Wedgwood
brands. Of course, employing the services of designers
John Rocha and Paul Costelloe doesn't hurt either.
Like Prada and Louis Vuitton, Waterford Wedgwood prefers
bricks-and-mortar retailers to the Internet. It doesn't
wish to disrupt the traditional producer-retailer
relationship with the stores around the world, which
took years to build up. 'This is a dilemma of all luxury
goods producers,' the Waterford Wedgwood spokesman says.
It's not hard to see why. Companies have invested time,
effort and financial resources nurturing these
relationships. Consequently, there is a risk that web-
based retailing would damage or irrevocably alter these
lucrative relationships.
For these reasons, WaterfordWedgwood.com tells the story
of the group, giving financial information, including
links for its individual brands. 'In common with other
luxury goods producers, Waterford Wedgwood is cautiously
approaching the amount of funds it devotes to its web-
based activities,' the spokesman adds.
So, just because a company maintains a website doesn't
mean it has to lower itself to selling its goods online.
Part of the pleasure of visiting Holland & Holland in
London, for example, is the store's unique ambience: the
snooty yet deferential sales staff and the old-fashioned
ways that seem so rare these days.
Luxury goods e-commerce sites have had mixed results.
Italy's high-fashion retailer, Luxlook.com, closed its
virtual doors this year. Even though the site set itself
up as the web-based version of Barney's of New York,
Harvey Nichols of London or Brown Thomas in Dublin, it
didn't have - couldn't have - the same attraction as
those emporiums.
Luxlook even had the backing of high-profile luxury
goods companies, counting Bulgari and Valentino among
its investors. But if a customer is going to fork out
(pounds) 200 for a pair of shoes, he/she wants to be
fussed over at the very least. Thus, Luxlook folded,
joining other well-heeled ghosts such as Eve.com and
BeautyJungle.com in Internet heaven.
Despite Waterford Wedgwood treading carefully and
cautionary tales from Luxlook.com, shoppers are flocking
to the Web for more than books and CDs on Amazon.com.
According to New York-based research firm Jupiter Media
Metrix Inc, online sales are set to top up to E1 billion
by the end of 2001 and E2.2 billion by 2005.
Whether you're designing for a high street or luxury
brand, the web page must fit in with the organisation's
original brand, according to Melissa Clulow, director of
Mira Interactive web design company. 'The big catch
phrase in both graphic and Web design now is branding.
People must immediately associate the Web page with the
product.' Graphic design and web design have, therefore,
joined forces.
Conversely, if the original brand is too complicated or
if it was done on the cheap from a graphic design
perspective, it can be a difficult and, sometimes,
horrible task to create a website. As a result, from a
luxury goods point of view, designers usually have a
good start.
'Tiffany.com has the distinctive blue and silver box,'
Clulow says. 'It' s slow-moving, elegant and oozes the
brand. The website is not doing anything that would
dilute or damage its image. It's cohesive and in keeping
with what we believe Tiffany to be. But it's also
accessible as it has both straight HTML and Flash
versions of its site.'
Having a website that just uses a Flash plug-in -
allowing the smooth movement on a site such as
disappearing logos or keywords - can limit the amount of
users. Those without Flash may be the very customers who
buy Holland & Holland luxury goods or Waterford Crystal
champagne glasses.'Flash can put-off many users,' Clulow
says.
Similarly, Mira Interactive created a look on its own
site to attract certain clients. 'Our site has a crisp,
clean style, with a lot of white space,' she adds. 'We
might not necessarily be the design of choice for
Versace, but may be more up Tiffany's street.'
That's Fifth Avenue. But, if you're a Web surfer, you
probably already know that.
http://www.tiffany.com/
Copyright © 2001 Financial Times Limited - All Rights
Reserved
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