Mr Porter Debuts Luxury Watch Destination as YNAP Continues Hard Luxury Push
ON TIME: Earlier this year, Net-a-porter opened an online Fine Jewelry Suite. Now it’s Mr Porter’s turn with the debut of The Luxury Watch Guide, which aims to complement the site’s growing watch selection.
Mr Porter has so far partnered with the likes of IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breitling, Tag Heuer and Officine Panerai to build a luxury watch offer on its site. As parent Compagnie Financière Richemont finalizes its purchase of Yoox Net-a-porter Group, the selection is likely to grow given Richemont’s digital ambitions and its continued investment in the high-end watch market.
Last week, Richemont revealed the purchase of Watchfinder.co.uk Limited, a purveyor of pre-owned watches online and through seven bricks-and-mortar stores. It marks Richemont’s first foray into the pre-owned luxury watch market.
The Mr Porter guide is said to offer “curated content, educational features and style advice” in order to guide customers to make the best selection of a luxury timepiece online.
“This was a natural next step in our continued growth of the category and not only delivers an engaging platform for both novice and enthusiast watch customers, but also allows us to better serve and inspire them,” said Toby Bateman, managing director at Mr Porter.
Content will include shoppable stories on topics such as “How to take care of your watch” or videos that tell the story of a brand’s heritage or highlight specific products.
Customers shopping from the new watch destination will also get access to the retailer’s personal shopping team and to enhanced services such as same-day delivery in London and New York. They’ll also be offered the option to have the product delivered to their homes to try on before purchasing.
As hard luxury becomes more in demand, online retailers have been racing to claim their stake in the market. Earlier this year and within close proximity to Net’s debut, rival Farfetch introduced a fine jewelry and watch hub in a bid to partner with luxury jewelers and watchmakers, giving them access to its Millennial-focused customer base.
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