Fashion and luxury companies are aware of their industry’s impact and have been working to reduce it for several years. However, in order to meet the targets set by the international community, it has become imperative to increase both the ambition and the pace of these sustainability initiatives. Today, several factors are hampering the transformation of the model: the fragile and uncertain economic situation of the sector, the growing complexity of ESG standards, and the conflicting demands arising from the analysis of consumer trends. In this context, the role of customers appears to be central to accelerating the transition to more sustainable fashion. How can they be repositioned at the heart of brands' sustainability strategies and become a real lever for change?
Why is this Important for Luxury Marketing?
Regulatory requirements are increasing, compelling brands to implement tools to better understand their supply chains (Duty of Care), measure their impact (Eco-Score), and make this information transparent to consumers (Digital Product Passport).
These new standards represent a major challenge for luxury companies, but also a unique opportunity to strengthen customer relationships: fostering consumer trust through greater transparency, embodying values that resonate with an increasingly demanding clientele, and empowering clients to become active participants in sustainable transformation.
To achieve this, their implementation must be accompanied by a strategic reflection on product offering and the role of the customer. How can these new tools be leveraged to strengthen brand loyalty? How can the product offering be transformed to meet environmental challenges and customer expectations? How can customers be encouraged to adopt more responsible consumption practices?
By leveraging tools like digital passports, sustainable product portfolios, and second-hand offerings, Maisons can turn sustainability into a competitive advantage while enhancing their customer relationships.
Key Examples of Consumer Engagement in the Luxury Sector
Key Recommendations to Engage Customers into Sustainable Transformation
“Starting in 2024, the European Union will implement a new regulation requiring nearly all products sold in the EU to feature a Digital Product Passport (DPP). This initiative, part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, aims to enhance transparency across product value chains by providing comprehensive information about each product’s origin, materials, environmental impact, and disposal recommendations. The DPP is designed to close the gap between consumer demands for transparency and the current lack of reliable product data.” (Data Europa, 2024) Hence, Luxury players can leverage such regulation to offer an augmented experience to their customers.
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Ravouth is a digital transformation expert specialized in luxury retail sector and airline industry. He is the global account executive for Deloitte of two major iconic brands. He brought Deloitte Digital (one of Deloitte Consulting’s offerings) to success in France, and he is currently leading the French Practice, with teams both located in Paris and Casablanca. Ravouth spent the first 10 years of his career in the telecom industry where he embraces the major tech disruption around mobile/fixed broadband (2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, DSL, Fibre,…). For the past 10 years, he has been advising CxOs, and especially CDOs (Chief Digital Officers) of Fortune 100 companies, on their digital transformation (from strategy to implementation). In terms of thought leadership, Ravouth has contributed to research on digital transformation, like “Leading Digital” best-seller book (www.leadingdigitalbook.com). He is also a regular invited speaker on corporate events, tech conference around digital transformation.
Clarisse est associée au sein des équipes Sustainability de Deloitte France et responsable des enjeux de transformations opérationnelles et de pilotage de la performance ESG par la donnée pour les organisations. « La transformation durable ne peut se concevoir seule : les dynamiques de consortium apparaissent comme un véritable accélérateurs de transformation sur les enjeux RSE. » Clarisse Lelong bénéficie d’une expérience de 15 ans dans le domaine du conseil. Elle rejoint Deloitte en 2017 pour prendre la tête d'une équipée dédiée à la conception et à l’animation de labs et workshops qui ont vocation à accélérer les projets innovants de grands groupes français. En 2018, fortement attachée à déployer des projets à impact, elle rejoint les équipes Sustainability de Deloitte France avec l’ambition d’accompagner les grandes transformations nécessaires aux entreprises pour faire face au changement climatique et aux évolutions sociétales en cours. Spécialisée dans l’accompagnement de projets de transformation transverse, elle est promue associée en 2022. Elle intervient principalement dans l’industrie « consumer » sur les secteurs de la grande distribution, de la restauration, de l’hôtellerie, de la mode et du luxe, ou encore de la cosmétique. Au fur et à mesure des années, elle a développé une solide connaissance de l’ensemble des thématiques liées au développement durable (climat, économie circulaire, biodiversité).
Ambroise has 9 years of experience, starting his career in operation within an automotive Tier 1 Supplier where he managed several International projects. Since joining Deloitte, he has a good understanding of organization transformation thanks to experiences in different industries (Luxury, Automotive, IT, Service) and different countries (France, Japan, Singapore). Ambroise conducted several projects designing and reviewing customer strategy for Luxury Groups (Dior Couture, Richemont), gaining significant knowledge on Consumer & Premium Retail industry. Ambroise covered an important part of Marketing and Client value chain from strategic & top line growth, Organization transformation and Operating Model design, Customer Experience Operational excellence, Pricing, Marketing activation & Salesforce projects roll-out, M&A
Depuis 10 ans, Clémence accompagne les organisations dans l’élaboration et le déploiement de leurs stratégies de transformation durable. Spécialiste des enjeux du secteur mode & luxe, elle pilote l’équipe Fashion Shift. Elle a également une bonne expérience des enjeux filières, achats responsables et économie circulaire. Elle travaille par ailleurs à la coordination de projets d’innovation multi-acteurs et sur des problématiques d’accompagnement du changement.
Chloé is a graduate of HEC business school and Sciences Po Strasbourg and has joined Deloitte Sustainability in 2021. As a Senior Manager in the Fashion Shift team, Chloé has led numerous strategy and transformation projects for players in the consumer and retail sectors. She specialises in sustainability issues in the fashion and luxury industries. She also has 4 years of experience as an entrepreneur, having created an ethical fashion jewelry brand aiming to promote traditional skills in partnership with associations of rural South African crafters.
Agathe various academic and professional experiences in marketing have cultivated her interest in digital and customer experience. She conducted several projects for high-end fashion and watchmaking houses on client experience, activation strategy, operating model… which led her to develop an expertise on the luxury industry. Agathe has forged a strong international mindset as she daily collaborate with international teams and spent +6 years working and studying across Spain, the UK, Hong Kong and Australia