Customisation and Collecting

Selling more of your product is the principal goal of any brand. Increased sales mean a healthier balance sheet and that’s what any company looks for, especially in today’s uncertain market.
But for the luxury sector things are not as simple – after all, if exclusivity is at the very heart of your proposition, then ubiquity is your enemy. To put it bluntly – if people in Oxford Street are wearing or using your product you’ll probably have done well shifting stock but your key, high value customers around the corner in Bond Street are not going to be impressed and your brand will suffer in the long run. So, how do you sell more products while maintaining that exclusivity?
Buy a Bentley and, the firm boasts, you can choose up to a million variations on your car, depending on the range. The designers tell the story of the Arab princess who showed them a bottle of nail varnish and told them that this was colour she wanted her car to be. Needless to say when the vehicle was delivered the paint was exactly the same hue as her nails.
Absurd though it might sound, this illustrates an important development for the luxury sector. Given the importance of exclusivity, customisation is increasingly being seen as a way to create a product that is unique. One of Britain’s most successful luxury exports, the Savile Row bespoke suit, is another example. Ask any tailor and they’ll tell you that a new generation of younger but equally discerning customers are discovering the delights of something that is made just for them rather being picked up off the peg.

They’ll also tell you these men will have a greater knowledge of fabrics, finishes and styles than ever before. Customisation allows the luxury consumer with his or her demanding personal standards and enthusiasm for the very best in life to become a co-creator along side the manufacturer.
Customising products or even simply reducing the run of any one design leads to another exciting new area for producers of luxury brands – encouraging collectors. The first luxury product manufacturers produced a limited number because they physically couldn’t knock out any more and so when the latest version became available their customers rushed out to buy one. Now this trend is back.
Cabinetmaker Linley creates ranges of dining tables, desks and photograph frames amongst other thing items, that are limited to just 50 or even less in number. Each item is numbered and so getting your hands on one is a challenge for any collector.
When watchmaker Patek Philippe launched the Pagoda it announced that it was destroying the tools used to make this style so that there would never be any more like it.

Getting hold of a copy of this particular timepiece to add to your collection suddenly becomes a challenge that many luxury customers are embracing. Meanwhile talking about its provenance and design to your friends adds to the attractiveness – and it’s much more appealing to the luxury customer than just buying the latest unit off the production line.