Tatler Malaysia

The Online Deal

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General manager of Bell & Ross, Fabien de Nonancourt shares some insights on the brand’s ambitions and the advantages of going digital

The digital landscape presents exciting opportunit­ies, as Fabien de Nonancourt, the general manager of Bell & Ross shares more about the brand’s e-commerce ambitions

While most luxury watch brands have bided their time boarding the e-commerce gravy train, Bell & Ross was already tapping into its vast potential as early as 10 years ago. “I think we were the first to go into the online business,” reveals Fabien de Nonancourt, general manager of Bell & Ross. “That came about from the simple understand­ing that whenever you typed ‘Bell & Ross’ on the internet, there were a lot of these unofficial offers from discounter­s. Why should we let people like this take over the market? We wanted to show the official offers from Bell & Ross, and have our official platform appear first on search engines.” Although access to its e-commerce site was restricted to buyers residing in the US and Europe, a selection of the French brand’s Swiss-made watches became available last year on Mr Porter—the award-winning e-retailer that branched out of Net-a-porter—and it effectivel­y widened the watchmaker’s reach.

“On Mr Porter, we reached out to customers that we weren’t able to before,” he confirms. Hot on the heels of this success, Fabien reveals that the Bell & Ross e-commerce site is ready to go live in Asia, including Malaysia, by the fourth quarter of this year. The e-boutique offers a wider range of watches than Mr Porter, plus accessorie­s such as straps, clasps and leather cases, that the latter doesn’t carry. “Purchasing behaviour has obviously changed. These days, a lot of the buying decisions are made online. Consumers go on the internet to get more informatio­n before they even step into the store. A friend of mine who works for a car dealership told me something interestin­g the other day. He said that 10 years ago, customers would visit the showroom at least four or five times before making a purchase. Today, 80 per cent of his customers buy on their first visit because they have already decided on what they want.” Even though the percentage of online sales is still small, having a significan­t presence is essential for business growth. “E-commerce is not a competitio­n to our physical stores— it’s complement­ary,” asserts Fabien. “Plus it’s easier to purchase our accessorie­s online as the stores can’t stock a full collection of them.” While Bell & Ross has over 800 retailers, including 12 standalone boutiques globally, the online store can reach those living where it doesn’t have a physical presence. “We have a large number of online customers who use the site because there are no Bell & Ross stores in their areas. And since the online store is ‘open’ 24/7, a lot of the purchases are made at odd hours of the day. Ultimately, e-commerce is a great complement to our offline stores,” adds Fabien. But there is the issue of shelling out a lot of money for an item you haven’t even got to inspect personally. The feel-and-touch experience may not be possible with a digital store, but it’s nothing Fabien worries over. “I honestly don’t think you’d buy our square watches if you haven’t tried them on before. Which is why our Vintage collection, with its classic round cases, do very well online.” The bigger challenge, he says, is price parity. “Due to currency fluctuatio­ns and taxes, prices vary in each country, but we have to ensure the price positionin­g is the same. It’s not just a matter of increasing or decreasing prices. We can’t become too expensive, nor create a negative perception of decreased value if the prices are lowered.” Regardless, Bell & Ross is forging ahead with its digital conquest. In terms of Asia, India and China are the markets Fabien is most excited about, and with good reason. “They are huge countries and the internet will certainly open up these markets for us.”

 ??  ?? THE FAB LANE Fabien de Nonancourt is rocketing Bell & Ross ahead by riding the digital wave
THE FAB LANE Fabien de Nonancourt is rocketing Bell & Ross ahead by riding the digital wave
 ??  ?? Bell & Ross embraced the digital revolution early on, and began offering timepieces online, via its e-commerce site as well as Mr Porter
Bell & Ross embraced the digital revolution early on, and began offering timepieces online, via its e-commerce site as well as Mr Porter
 ??  ?? BE THERE AND BE SQUARE The Vintage collection by Bell & Ross are among the best-sellers on the e-commerce platform. Accessorie­s like straps and leather cases also do well online
BE THERE AND BE SQUARE The Vintage collection by Bell & Ross are among the best-sellers on the e-commerce platform. Accessorie­s like straps and leather cases also do well online

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