Nowness’ ‘Shoppable Video’ Holds Solid Potential For China Luxury Marketing

A screenshot from Nowness' new shoppable video. (Nowness) A chic new shoppable video by LVMH’s luxury editorial site Nowness may be a sign of what’s to come for the future of global high-end e-commerce—and that definitely includes China. Nowness’s e-commerce-linked video was published on its bilingual English/Chinese site on March 10, and features collaborations with Louis Vuitton, La Perla, Kenzo, Haider Ackermann, Rick Owens, Bottega Veneta, and Maison Martin Margiela. The artistic imagery features dancers whirling through the air wearing items by the designers, which can be clicked in order to be saved in a list linking to third-party retailers. This is one of the first uses of the technology for promotion in the luxury industry—LVMH has been one of the pioneers in its use, and previously used shoppable videos to promote its men’s line earlier this year. By grouping mega-brand Louis Vuitton in with smaller niche labels and featuring avant-garde looks, LVMH can target fashion-forward customers following the global turn away from logos and toward individualized looks, which is catching on in China as well. This particular video doesn't seem to be directed too strongly at Nowness’ Chinese audience. The links in the video on the Chinese site go to the same e-tailers as on the English, and the link to purchase an item from Hong Kong- and China-based department store Lane Crawford directs to its English site. The video link is posted on Nowness’ Sina Weibo account and is available in non-shoppable form on Youku. Nonetheless, the format does hold possibilities for China, where many luxury brands have sponsored micro-films in recent years. The main challenge for luxury brands with this new form of marketing would be balancing a high-end aesthetic with the available technology and platforms popular with Chinese users. While posting on Youku helps to gain more exposure, the company opted to control the aesthetics of the shopping experience by making the video shoppable only on its Nowness player. In addition, mobile platforms are incredibly important to the Chinese e-commerce market, meaning that brands experimenting with the technology must ensure user-friendly experiences on more than just a computer.

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Nowness’ ‘Shoppable Video’ Holds Solid Potential For China Luxury Marketing