Sometimes the success of a party is all about inviting the right people rather than just letting anyone through the door. Blocking access may fly in the face of the open spirit of the internet but a velvet rope is increasingly being used by many brands online.
This isn’t about subscriptions, the ongoing paywall debate among publishers, it’s about handpicking your audience. Our cover story illustrates how FMCG giant Unilever is going much further than merely listening to its customers’ conversations on social networks. It’s creating bespoke invite-only communities around its brands to tap into customers’ passion for product development.
New Look was a pioneer here, launching its invite-only network in 2008, which has played an important role in the clothing retailer’s continuing stellar success. After all, the wisdom of the crowds is a nice concept but, as digital visionary Jaron Lanier says, “It works when choosing the price of an ox.” But for anything a bit more complex you need to choose the crowd you consult.
Restrictive access is also working for brands at the other end of the spectrum. Luxury brands are the last to resist the lure of ecommerce, preferring the high gloss of Bond Street shopping to people browsing their store via a laptop while in their underpants. As we discover in this week’s Vertical Focus, the answer for brands like Coty and Sunseeker is to restrict access to their sites to pre-vetted customers. Coty will only let you in if you’ve already visited the physical store. Faberge goes as far as to phone prospective customers to ascertain their suitability for the site – similar to having to ring the bell to enter a physical store – which enables them to be taken personally through the site.
Such brands are simultaneously investing in the functionality of their sites to ensure the customer experience matches the strict door policy. It’s moves like this that will be key in breaking down the final barriers to luxury brands’ adoption of ecommerce.
The democratic, open internet? If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in.