Internet: not many waves for watchmaking surfers
The Internet has revolutionised the world of communication. How do watchmakers use the Internet? What risks and what opportunities does it provide? A gentle surf around a virtual world which, for now, is not having much effect on Internet browsers.
Michel Jeannot / BIPH
Initially they took a distant view of it, and then approached it on tiptoe. The relationship between watchmakers and the Internet is more like an imposed exercise than a shared pleasure. However, since they all realised that the Web was a world they were obliged to enter, they naturally all have a website - not one that is necessarily up to date - but on the whole very heterogeneous. As is often the case when you venture into technology, the most recent websites are generally the most interesting since they include the latest innovations in the business.
There remain a few fundamental questions: Who influenced the major names to go on to the Web? Is the Internet a solution for the luxury trade? Questions like this on the compatibility between the Internet and the image of luxury products has raised a number of debates between the supporters of the virtual world and the conservatives. There has been great hesitation before accepting the obvious. The best example is doubtless the Hermes Company, which took an unconscionable length of time to put its website on line but which, once it had gained good visibility on the web, has taken the next step and opened its website for sales (for just a few articles).
An agreed procedure
The fears aroused initially by the Internet have gradually been allayed. And, like all sales people around the world, watchmakers have acknowledged that, in 8 out of 10 instances, this medium has contributed to the search for information prior to the act of purchasing. What is more, studies have shown that the Internet was a source of information that was exceedingly credible to consumers, far ahead of traditional media. In the particular case of watchmaking, the major brands took the decision to use this new vector of communication while remaining extremely cautious. And the overall result is unequivocal: a succession of on-line catalogues that reflect the company image and provide information on its products. Although there have been a few successful attempts to go further than just a shop window, it is clear that the opportunities offered by the Internet are far from being used. Very little interactivity, no speed of reaction, no opportunity for dialogue, few videos, very little audio; the whole picture remains relatively static and conventional.
Another taboo subject: the sale of luxury watches on the Internet. This was unimaginable just a few years ago, but the concept is gaining ground slowly. The need to avoid ruffling the feathers of the traditional distribution network is currently protecting sales outlets. But for how much longer? It is obvious that first sales will not be made without the input of local retailers - the question of after-sales service remains fundamental - but opinions are changing. If the problem of distribution did not exist, the die would have been cast a long time ago. To convince yourself of this, you need only note that Louis Vuitton, a company that has its own distribution network, sells its products on-line. This makes the argument that luxury products do not lend themselves to being sold on the Internet totally out of date.
The dirty business of counterfeiting
Apart from the major brands and the information they control, watches and clocks are on the Internet in forms that are many and varied. In terms of visibility, the initial websites devoted to this industry were obviously those devoted to counterfeiting and other counter measures of all sorts. Faced with this new Eldorado, counterfeiters of all sorts considered, probably rightly, that their future lay with the Internet. Counterfeiters were involuntarily assisted in their dirty work by another category of sales people who gave surfers the legitimate impression that quality watches, whether genuine or not, could be found on the Internet at knock-down prices. For those who may possibly not know or pretend not to know this, the grey market has found a new and welcome outlet on the Internet. A few minutes spent surfing on websites like this are enough to ascertain the challenges relating to this grey market. It can readily be understood why counterfeiters have rushed in behind these “clearance sales”. For there is doubtless no worse danger, and better advertising for counterfeiters, than to find genuine watches at knock-down prices and counterfeit ones at all sorts of prices in the same environment.
For those who are interested in watchmaking, these shady websites are fortunately just one part of the products offered to surfers. The most accessible information is to be found in forums and other portals devoted to watchmaking. Some of these have the considerable advantage of being somewhat independent and to have an appreciable freedom of tone. ■
Virtual area with a new reality
For a long time, the world of luxury has expressed a few fears in taking the plunge into the Web. The medium might not be appropriate to the quality of the products. It remains a fact that the world is moving on and that some people know how to take bold steps, to the point of not hesitating to show tomorrow’s products in virtual surroundings. So an increasing number of companies are using the changes in virtual worlds to test their products and draw their conclusions. Others use the Web as an advertising platform.
A few days ago, Dior premiered its new collection of jewellery on Second Life, one of the most dynamic of the current virtual worlds. This first for the sector is obviously, and above all, an excellent marketing coup to make people talk about the collection, the company and its capacity to live in today’s world. It remains that this launch is a resolutely new step. The future will tell us whether companies will continue to raise the curtain on their new collections in virtual areas when no one talks about them as novel steps. In any case, the Internet offers a host of opportunities for anyone who is ready to face reality. And this vector really cannot be ignored. ■
