Jerry Salsini

Jerry,

Very interesting post on thie Touch of Modern app.. Amazon has Lightening Deals, and some are Prime Only which I LOVE. The thrill of beating the clock as well as the exclusivity typically pushes me to pull the trigger. I especially love lightening deals leading up to Christmas time.

I just checked out Touch of Modern – it feels like Groupon, but MUCH more refined and exclusive. There is definitely a market for this – my boyfriend likes to buy products he finds on Kickstarter so he can have/wear something that is unique and hard to get. I think Touch of Modern also has a secondary target of the girlsfriends & wives of these millenial men – we are always looking for great gift ideas!

Great insights Christine!
I totally have shopped at alternative retail sellers for unique items, simply because the listings are already curated and easy to follow. U.S. women are not to far behind in men for online shopping at the targeted demo here at 18 to 34; 33% of women of the same age prefer online shopping (Business Insider Report). Also its good to hear from your prospective because the secondary market really would count when talking seasonal segments for men’s gifts or women shopping in general. Once again great insights here!

I’m guessing this might be a typo (please specify), but if 70% of the app traffic is coming from mobile, is the app available on other platforms? It seems like a lot for 30% of app traffic to be coming from non-mobile devices. There’s absolutely no reason that an app experience wouldn’t work on desktop (or likely tablet), but I’d love to hear more about how the app experience changes on mobile vs. those other devices.

Interesting how much they focus on development in-house. Has that led to any first-mover type innovations in their app? Or is it more quality control focused to stay in line with their aesthetic, etc.?

Interesting post, Jerry! I like the fact that you took two different brands from the automotive industry to do your comparison. After researching Mercedes on Facebook I agree with your view of them utilizing their content as a “window”. Pictures, articles, and brief posts about their customer stories really give an insight into what it is to be part of the Mercedes brand. By offering this in-depth look into their cars and lifestyle offerings the view can truly get drawn into the idea that they are a trustworthy company with a solid product to offer. One of the key strategies Mercedes seemed to have used was to not overly pressure their customers into purchasing, more they gave a glimpse to what the lifestyle could be like.
Contrary to Meceredes, Mazda does an equally as impressive job on their marketing campaign to bring its customers together. Their strategy of content as a “community” connects their base with one another an inspires them to share their personal stories. Even with only 2% of market share Mazda provides a sensation that they have a strong and loyal following from each of its customers. Personally, this type of content strategy speaks to me…
As a consumer, my personal opinion is that a “window” into a product I can never afford does me little good (obviously, I won’t be affording a luxury Mercedes any time soon!), but a strategy that brings me together with other people who share my values, that’s something that grabs my attention! Obviously, different content strategies work different companies but is their a particular strategy that seems to lore you in more than others? I’m wondering if the high-end brands consistently use one strategy as apposed to another? Let me know what you think! Great assessment and I look forward to your response!

Hi Nate, Appreciate the feedback! The “window” inside the Mercedes brand and heights of innovation can and most likely leave many in the average consumer social media landscape as simple spectators. Rather, more relatable brands on average – as we see in contrast with: Mazda, Toyota or Ford – are more consumer-centric in their exposition of products, with practical everyday usage rather than strictly performance type vehicles. Another site devoted to catering to buyers of mainly luxury products as an e-commerce hub would be Touch of Modern or James Edison, and just like Mercedes they upstage the “Presence” archetype within high-end brands as the normative.