Fashion designer and American icon Tom Ford has been crowned as Europe’s most popular luxury brand, according to independent research conducted by Kelkoo, the largest pan-European ecommerce advertising and shopping comparison service.
The study reveals the most searched for luxury brands across Kelkoo’s shopping platform and analyses online spending habits across all major European retail markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Tom Ford was amongst the top ten most popular luxury brands in each country, ranking third in 70% of these markets, cementing the American brand’s position as a key player across Europe.
In the UK, Prada tops the list as the most popular luxury brand, closely followed by Tom Ford and Versace for big-spending Brits. Fashion changes fast, however, as last year it was Chanel leading the way as Europe’s most popular ecommerce brand.
The in-depth research analyses searches through Kelkoo’s platforms across Europe – providing retailers with 289 million annual leads – the number of times customer connect directly with retailers’ online stores.
Richard Stables, CEO of Kelkoo, explains: “Ecommerce is no longer just an option for high street shoppers, online marketplaces are increasingly a lucrative hunting ground for luxury purchases.”
“Consumers demand convenience, whether they’re searching for bargain basement deals or luxury brands. This is where the online competition has the upper hand over stores as they can deliver a much smoother and convenient customer experience.”
“Retailers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of online for their brands, instead of focusing on a purely in-store approach. Consumers are aware that they can secure world-class products at a reasonable cost online, however, an increased average basket size doesn’t mean that luxury shoppers aren’t also looking to make a saving.”
“The retail landscape is evolving, due to new consumer demands, also affecting the luxury market. Household names like House of Fraser, M&S and Next have struggled to attract customers and endured financial turmoil; likewise, luxury retailers will also be in trouble if they fail to enhance their omnichannel and customer experience offering.”
Online shoppers favour “home-grown” luxury brands
Kelkoo Group also examined how loyal shoppers are to brands on their doorstep, showing increased popularity in brands from their own country. For example, UK shoppers favour Stella McCartney, a brand which failed to make an impression in Europe yet tipped into the UK’s top 10.
The research also revealed a similar trend across Europe with French designer Sonia Rykiel enjoying far greater popularity in its homeland – where it was the second most popular luxury brand. Gucci is by far the most popular luxury brand in Italy but far less so in many other markets and just the ninth most popular in the UK (see tables below).
Top 10 most popular luxury brands UK vs Europe 2018
| UK | EUROPE |
| 1. Prada | 1. Tom Ford |
| 2. Tom Ford | 2. Gucci |
| 3. Versace | 3. Chanel |
| 4. Tissot | 4. Prada |
| 5. Fendi | 5. Dolce & Gabbana |
| 6. Chanel | 6. Yves Saint Laurent |
| 7. Balmain | 7. Guerlain |
| 8. Dolce & Gabbana | 8. Montblanc |
| 9. Gucci | 9. Versace |
| 10. Stella McCartney | 10. Tissot |
Top 10 most popular luxury brands in France and Italy
| FRANCE | ITALY |
| 1. Tom Ford | 1. Gucci |
| 2. Sonia Rykiel | 2. Prada |
| 3. Tissot | 3. Tom Ford |
| 4. Gucci | 4. Dolce & Gabbana |
| 5. Montblanc | 5. Tiffany |
| 6. Chanel | 6. Valentino |
| 7. Guerlain | 7. Balenciaga |
| 8. Yves Saint Laurent | 8. Fendi |
| 9. Versace | 9. Chanel |
| 10. Christian Lacroix | 10. Givenchy |
Kelkoo is a premium partner of Google Shopping Ads by which offers retailers an average saving of 20% on total ad spend, bypassing the premiums faced by retailers on Google Shopping. Ecommerce retailers experience the same quality of traffic and access to potential customers on Google platforms as if they were partnered with Google directly, but at a fraction of the cost.
Google Shopping Ads by Kelkoo Group is live in 14 countries across Europe, with 5,400 retailers benefiting from the Shopping Ads partnership.
* Study of all online searches through Kelkoo for luxury brands during October 2018 in Kelkoo’s European markets (UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden)