Online retailing is not just the domain of mass-market retailers. The marketing of luxury brands online is becoming ever more popular. 

Recently, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School published “Selling Luxury: How High-End Brands Are Embracing the Internet”:

“Online shoppers won’t find a price list or an ‘add to cart’ button when they visit the Web site of iconic watchmaker Patek Philippe.  The most prominent visual on the home page is not a limited edition timepiece but a commercial featuring a father congratulating his young son for winning a cricket match. The ad ends with the slogan: ‘You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.’”

“Patek Philippe’s online store, where customers can look but not purchase, is certainly atypical of most shopping Web sites. But that’s kind of the point, Wharton marketing experts say. It’s also an excellent example of how some high-end retailers are dealing with a dilemma born of the digital age. How does a luxury brand retain its extravagant feel while catering to the growing horde of consumers who love to shop online?”

Listen to a podcast on luxury retailing with Barbara Kahn, a Wharton marketing professor and director of the school’s Jay H. Baker Retailing Center, and Denise Dahlhoff, research director at the Baker Center. Just click on the image.