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During the Web Summit in Lisbon this week, one message was clear: to build tangible, long-lasting success from technological innovations, it’s important to resist hype and find use cases that go beyond PR. From the metaverse to blockchain, Web3 to AI, it can be difficult for brands to know where to engage in order to boost consumer acquisition and loyalty. So, how can brands unlock fashion’s innovation potential?
Outside of the Web Summit, on the evening of 15 November, Vogue Business senior trends editor Lucy Maguire sat down with Mary-Carmen Gasco Buisson, chief marketing officer of jewellery brand Pandora, and Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, co-founder and CEO of blockchain powered solutions provider Arianee, to understand real-life ways some of the “hype” innovations can boost loyalty and conversion. Held in partnership with the UK Department for Business and Trade, the event took place at upscale restaurant JNCQUOI (pronounced Je ne sais quoi) on Lisbon’s iconic Avenue de la Liberdade. Attendees included representatives from LVMH, Farfetch, PVH Corp and Deloitte, plus exciting startup founders in gaming, Web3 and circularity, who enjoyed drinks and nibbles and networking after the conversation.
Pandora is the largest jewellery brand in the world by volume of product sold, said Gasco Buisson. However, when she joined in 2022, the brand was still very much known for its bestselling charm bracelets. “We needed to continue serving our existing consumers while educating the next generation. This means that we need to use a range of marketing channels and innovations, to avoid alienating existing consumers,” she said. “We still do television, we are across all social media platforms from Meta to TikTok, but we are also always open to exploring new platforms and technologies.”
While Pandora’s older customers find personal, tailored experiences in one of its 2,400 stores, the current challenge is recreating this personalised service with the younger customers online, to help offer them jewellery that aligns with their tastes in the same way a store assistant might. “We want to get to know all our customers better, no matter where they interact with us,” Gasco Buisson said. “Jewellery is emotion. People buy our products as a gift to themselves or to others. I want Pandora’s stores or website to feel like it knows you, in the same way I feel recognised and understood in my local nail salon.”
Over the last two years, Pandora has embarked upon a global innovation journey, to build personalisation technology on its e-commerce across its markets to achieve this goal. The software will suggest certain products or styles based on a customer’s previous purchase or browsing behaviour. “It’s been a long and challenging process, and after two years we are only 10 per cent complete in one of our lead markets, so far,” Gasco Buisson said. “But, already in the market where it’s implemented, we’re seeing an encouraging increase in conversion. And now we’re scaling.”
As new technologies emerge, brands have opportunities to better understand their customers and personalise their experience, said Arianee’s Hurstel, who works with brands including Breitling, IWC Schaffhausen and Lacoste on Web3-powered projects, from digital product passports to loyalty tokens. “We are entering a new age of the internet, where It’s becoming increasingly difficult to understand your customers, because of regulations on cookies and third-party data,” he said. “Beyond the hype, what Web3 can really do is help brands connect directly with their customers and receive data straight from them.”
As an example, for Arianee client, luxury watch brand IWC Schaffhausen, customers receive a digital passport for every single watch sold, attesting to its authenticity and ownership, which can be transferred if the watch is gifted or inherited. Once a consumer activates this, they are able to share their information with the brand directly, and in the case of IWC Schaffhausen they’re able to access events and exclusive early drops.
Gasco Buisson pointed out that a lot of Pandora’s sales are customers buying gifts for other people, which also poses a challenge when it comes to understanding the end customer, who didn’t buy the piece. Hurstel explained that with digital passports attached to their products, Pandora could learn about who owns their jewellery, if they activate their digital wallet.
These use cases are compelling, after the initial hype around Web3 and the metaverse has faded. “We try to avoid hype by listening to our customers and their feedback,” said Gasco Buisson. “But, with their guidance, we are constantly exploring new technologies to better tell our story, tailor our service and build community,” she says.
