E-commerce and the rule of three actions: search, seek, dream

A flash of desire captured on the smartphone display. Suspending for an instant the incessant flow of images, obtaining with a click the information on the object that has attracted priority attention and buying it in an instant; guided by technology, but on the wave of emotion. One of the countless alchemies offered to luxury connoisseurs is a universe of sophisticated search techniques fused with the potential of artificial intelligence. "Change has never been so fast, and it will never be so slow again," begins Christophe Mille, who holds the position of head of luxury vertical at the colossus Google and is a privileged observer of the dynamics of high-end consumption.

With more than 20 years of experience in strategic digital marketing, he has been at Google since 2011, where he long ago launched the BrandLab, a creative workshop to refine media strategies and the power of video content for business partners.

"2024 saw the luxury market facing challenges and uncertainties; on the other hand, however, it was a crucial year for AI, with significant advances and many opportunities for brands," he says. And also for tools, such as Google's, that live at the intersection of search and purchase. "Searches are increasingly visual: those for images, made through Lens, are more than 20 billion a month and 1 in 4 expresses purchase intentions. In such a visual world, the 'Circle and Search' function, to get more information by highlighting an item or accessory in a photo, is one of the fastest ways to lead to a purchase," he explains.

It is not just an online phenomenon: according to a recent McKinsey report, web searches are increasingly influencing in-store purchases as well: '80 per cent of offline sales are actually digitally driven. Consumers are not only moving between platforms, they are fluently jumping between online and offline modes to gather information prior to purchase'. They look for accurate and timely, but never redundant, information: '66 per cent of Europeans have delayed or avoided making a decision when faced with too many options or too much information, while 63 per cent have abandoned the purchase altogether,' he points out. A number that absolutely must be taken into account.

What are the data that ignite desire when exploring a luxury object online? Those that make sensoriality and emotion vibrate in unison? According to Mille, technology must become ancillary, make the experience fluid and then disappear: the less you see, the better. "Luxury brands should focus on craftsmanship and values, create personalised experiences and know how to tell the story. Using the right tools; the one for storytelling, in Google's portfolio, still seems to be YouTube, which acts as a historical archive and also a bit of an antidote to the ephemeral frenzy of social media. The Panerai maison, for example, has published a video that in four minutes - an eternity, in the mad pace of other platforms - traces the innovations made in the art of watchmaking. Hermès focused on content highlighting the craftsmanship in its ateliers, Cartier used it to illuminate the centenary of the iconic Trinity ring, Fendi reknotted the threads of family history across generations. The most interesting aspect is that these videos do not age, they become timeless content that continues to inspire. Balenciaga's 2021 Simpsons story reached twenty-three million views and continues to attract millions of users each year. Versace's 2018 fashion show, the one that brought together all the supermodels of the 1990s, has reached six million users, and many in the last year alone. The video channel also proves to be an ideal stage for another rising trend: live content. Currently, 37 per cent of the time spent on YouTube in the fashion industry is dedicated to live. Chanel broadcast its fashion show in China, preceded by a preview by Wim Wenders, Louis Vuitton captured over 6 million clicks with its latest fashion show.