Nowness, an online luxury destination owned by LVMH, this week debuted what just might be next wave of luxury shopping – click to purchase video.
The site unveiled a short video performance, “Mine” featuring a number of luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta. The video depicts five dancers from London’s Sadler’s Wells Theater playing a game of “chase,” often stripping down to minimalist white underwear as they toss, tumble and steal clothes. The artistic piece was directed by Tell No One.
While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen video used as a shopping technique, it is the first time we’ve seen video used so effectively. While watching the video, one can click on individual clothing items and they will be added to a user’s “boutique,” which can be viewed at any time by clicking the lower right corner of the video. A numerical counter shows the number of pieces added. If a viewer wishes to buy the piece, they are directed to a third party site for purchase.
The tool was relatively simple to use, although the speed at which the dancers in the video moved made it slightly difficult at times to click the piece of clothing one wanted to view, and the lack of a clear call to action on the product pages made it difficult to figure out how to purchase.
This isn’t the first time an LVMH brand has attempted “shoppable video.” Louis Vuitton offered videos around its men’s line in the series “A Man, a Voyage, and Iconic Bag” series earlier this year.
Although not luxury focused in nature, startup Tweli features a similar shoppable concept, allowing retailers to upload product videos with direct click-to-purchase abilities.
It’s simple to see the application of such technology for consumers, luxury or otherwise, and of particular interest to the fashion industry, where video offers consumers the option to preview how clothing fits, moves and looks on a moving human body.