Montblanc refuses to sell their pens online. I’m waffling between being horrified and amused by their strong brand management stance. Here are the choice quotes:
“Luxury by its very nature is not ubiquitous, and that’s why by its very nature it doesn’t make sense for it to be on the Internet.” -Montblanc North America marketing exec Eric Werner
“Part of what makes a luxury brand command the large prices that it does is an implied scarcity or exclusivity of product. It’s difficult to maintain that air of exclusivity when any consumer with any PC from any point in the country can buy them.” -Jupiter Communications digital commerce analyst Mike May
Vendome, Montblanc’s controlling company, also does not allow Cartier, Piaget, and Alfred Dunhill to be sold online. So do you see the market opportunity here? How do you communicate the essence of luxury in the ecommerce environment? And does Ashford.com agree that this isn’t possible?