Wealthy US consumers favour and feel more connected to luxury brands that offer an app. That’s the headline conclusion of a study of affluent US consumers carried out by the Luxury Institute, in cooperation with mobile marketing firm, Plastic Mobile. The results of the research have been released in the study entitled: Mobile Apps And Commerce for Luxury Brands.

Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue and Gilt Groupe are the most frequently downloaded apps by wealthy consumers who have luxury brand applications on their mobile device. Most affluent smartphone owners who are downloading luxury apps are using them to find information on products, services or brands (56 per cent).

Almost all wealthy consumers who have used luxury brand apps report that they have had a good experience with the mobile apps (93 per cent). In addition, 71 per cent report that they feel better connected to luxury brands after downloading and/or using their applications, and 64 per cent view luxury brands that offer a mobile application more favourably than brands that do not.

The survey respondents indicate there are a number of features they expect from luxury brand applications and highlight loyalty programs (46 per cent) and early access to sales (45 per cent) as the most important. In addition, providing sales professionals with an app that can specify details about products (53 per cent), have the ability to check for sizes and availability at other stores (50 per cent) and in-store product inventory (47 per cent) would enrich the luxury shopping experience for affluent consumers.

Of the 63 per cent of wealthy consumers who have made a purchase through their mobile device, just under 20 per cent have bought a luxury product or service. While preference for the in-store experience (45 per cent) is why wealthy smartphone users have not yet fully embraced luxury mobile commerce, the majority of luxury consumers who choose to shop via apps report that there is no upper monetary limit to how much they would spend (72 per cent).

“Luxury brands must acknowledge the impact of technology advancements in the mobile space and find a humanistic way to connect and engage with their consumers through mobile,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO of Luxury Institute. Plastic Mobile COO, Melody Adhami, adds: “Mobile has been receiving a lot attention in the retail space lately. The study suggests the mobile strategy for luxury brands must be about enhancing the in-store customer experience and using the platform to help strengthen customer relationships.”

You can see a video presentation of the study’s findings here.