Chanel has announced that it is to globally harmonise the pricing of three of its signature bags - the 11.12, the Boy bag, and the 2.55. Aligning the prices of its products worldwide will help the brand move a step closer to a future global e-commerce platform but, most importantly for the brand, also prevent any questions over authenticity due to differences in price.
Credit: Vogue
"We want to be very clear that we are not part of that," said Chanel's president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky. "There is no way to go against that but to have the prices aligned."
The strategy will also see a decline in Chanel aficionados travelling to regions where they can buy items for significantly less than in their own territory - although unfortunately for the euro zone, the alignment will see prices rise, while they drop in Chinese yuan. This, however, is a part of the wider plan, which Pavlovsky explained to WWD is about courting loyal and local customers that are, "seduced by the brand and by the products and not just led by these price differentials".
Credit: Vogue
Currently only the French fashion house's beauty products are sold online, while ready-to-wear and accessories are solely available to purchase in Chanel boutiques or concessions within department stores. Parity between the prices in different countries will make an online move a much smoother one, although this is still some time off.
Credit: Vogue
"It's to prepare the brand for the next 10 to 15 years. It's more about the future than the past," continued Pavlovsky. "One day we will probably sell online, but we will do it when we are ready," he said. "Our products need to be touched, tried, experienced. We can't at the moment do this online."
The harmonised pricing will roll out across all product categories and is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.
Source: Vogue