Luxury Society publica inquérito sobre o futuro do Luxo

O clube privado on-line Luxury Society acaba de conduzir um inquérito a mais de mil membros (Estação Cronográfica é membro), indagando alguns dos mais influentes quadros das maiores marcas de luxo sobre aspectos particulares de um mundo em transformação e as consequências que isso terá para o sector. Eis as principais conclusões:

Once again, the luxury industry is undergoing a period of transformation and renewal. Just as the first appearance of conglomerates like LVMH and Richemont in the late 1980s signalled an extended period of professionalisation and consolidation for our sector, so does the rise of the digital consumer and emerging markets today signal a phase of technological innovation and globalisation which is changing the ways in which our products and services are designed, marketed, distributed and consumed. And as a result, the luxury industry will certainly look very different in the years to come.

One of the undoubted strengths of the luxury industry has been the power of our brands and heritage to attract passionate individuals who appreciate the creativity, craftsmanship and cachet of working in our industry. But this is no longer enough.

In order to thrive –and in some cases even to survive– this current transformative period, we will have to proactively seek out breakthrough talent that is entirely new to luxury while enabling our existing talent pool to adapt and change with the times, keeping them excited and motivated. We must give them good reasons to stay. We must nurture their nature.

Thankfully, following a period of intense growth, and then deep retrenchment in recruitment, luxury companies are tentatively dipping their toes back into hiring, to test the market and look for the next generation of luxury leaders.

It was with this in mind that Luxury Society turned to our most precious resource – our members – to see what they had to say on the topic; to understand how these changes are impacting them every day. More than 1,000 LS members weighed in on our survey, from individuals working in tiny start-ups to the titans of the luxury goods industry.

Many of them participated in detailed interviews to provide a further layer of commentary to our survey results.

So what did they tell us?

Recruitment Revolution: Our members are far more likely to seek new career opportunities using social media, than using traditional channels like conventional job advertisements. But up until now, most luxury companies have shied away from this.

The Digital Imperative: Brands recognise they need digital experts who can bring a deeper understanding of the opportunities and risks of the digital revolution currently engulfing the industry, but they are struggling to find the digital talent they need and are missing opportunities to nurture digital expertise across the organisation.

Cross-cultural Expertise: We will need more cross-cultural experts too, individuals who can move seamlessly between countries, cultures and languages, ensuring that the essence of our brands is not lost in translation as the industry continues to globalise.

Prepared, but Under-trained: While professionals feel ready to face the rapid changes sweeping the sector, they are very unsatisfied with the training they receive from their companies. They often seem to be upskilling themselves instead.

Women in Luxury: Women's voices are underrepresented in the executive boardrooms of the luxury sector, contradicting a seemingly widespread point of view that gender parity is not an issue in our business.