The Psychology Behind Luxury and eCommerce

Luxury and eCommerce, do they go hand in hand?

After all, luxury is about exclusivity, being part of a story, feeling special. eCommerce, like other internet-based trends, is often about democratisation.

Yet, eCommerce companies like Yoox Group, Net-a-Porter and Gilt have all shown that there are eCommerce models for luxury fashion. And as Federico Marchetti, the founder and CEO of Yoox Group, told John Seabrook of The New Yorker, there are those people that want to link the seemingly divergent planets of luxury and eCommerce:

“I loved the fact that they were so different, and I could bring them together. Fashion was all about exclusivity, and Internet was all about democracy; fashion was for the élite, Internet for the masses—someone had to link the two planets.”

But is luxury the exclusive purview of traditional luxury powerhouses, the kinds of brands Marchetti works with at Yoox, like Dolce & Gabbana, Armani and Diesel?

Or can small and medium sized eCommerce businesses, such as many of those using WooCommerce, get in on the act?

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