Ralph Lauren at the NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo
Despite the initial universal dismissal of the internet as an unsuitable channel for displaying and retailing luxury goods, the Ralph Lauren brand has been a longstanding advocate of using all types of technologies to convey its brand messaging and to drive non-store sales.
By Glynn Davis in New York
Speaking at NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo in New York David Lauren, executive vice president of advertising, marketing and corporate communications, highlighted a catalogue of pioneering technology initiatives that began with it opening a store online more than a decade ago.
“The truth is years ago people thought it would fail and cannibalise store sales. But we fought to tell them that it would be good because online provides endless space, and so we’d be able to tell our story and sell products. We continued to invest when the dotcom bubble was bursting and people were saying why not just open another outlet,” he explained.
Lori Mitchell-Keller of SAP, agreed Ralph Lauren had swum against the tide of opinion: “Eleven years ago when they set up their website many companies wondered whether luxury would work online. They used it to unleash the brand and people who thought there were issues of brand destruction and exclusivity were proved wrong. Ralph Lauren has used technology to break the rules and take down the barriers.”
Its online site proved the perfect vehicle for its fashion Style Guide. These are now common among brands but at the time it was revolutionary to put them on a website. This was complimented with ‘RL Magazine’ and the content across these mediums led to Lauren coining the ‘merchantainment’ tag that highlights its mix of merchandising and entertainment.
Further technology innovations then followed with the company creating the first virtual store at the US Open tennis, which involved employing various technologies including kiosks but no product could be bought. “We think this all helps to enhance the brand and gives context around it,” said Lauren.
At its Madison Avenue store in New York the company created the first 24-hour shopping window. A touchscreen window enabled passers-by to purchase products even when the store was closed. Next up were QR codes added onto advertisements after Lauren had seen them in use in Japan. “It was commonplace in Japan. Within two months of our using them, the US Army and many brands followed. But it was pioneering at the time.”
In attempting to “pull all these technologies together” Lauren said the create-your-own Rugby shirt initiative was devised. From a mobile phone a unique shirt could be created, then shared with friends on Facebook, before being displayed on the screens in the store’s windows. The product can then be manufactured for the creator and any other people who like the design.
Lauren said many other future innovations are planned and that the company had exciting plans for the Olympics around its position as the official outfitter for the US Olympic Team: “We’ve an amazing marketing opportunity and we’ll be doing some wonderful things online telling compelling stories about the brand.”
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