Luxury Personas

Methodology

Survey Sample Criteria -

Respondents

Online survey fielded via 498 LinkedIn members

LinkedIn platform from People who buy luxury
In Hong Kong and
November 15 – 30, 2014 products
Singapore

2
Anna – The Aspirational
 Aspirations on LinkedIn…
Are individual contributors who sit in industries such as:
Banking, insurance, financial services, investment banking, accounting, investment mgmt., commercial real estate,
Law practice, legal service, mgmt., consulting, PR & communications

…and they’re engaged on the platform

1.7X more 27% more

connected engaged with
content

19% more likely 71% access

to view content LinkedIn via a
mobile

4
Source: LinkedIn Internal Data, January 2015
 Anna is a young but
professional. She’s highly
ambitious and works in the
legal industry.
She indulges in luxury products
and uses professional
successes to reward herself
with luxury products
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 For Anna, love, knowledge
and having a good work-life
balance are the main
contributors to her happiness.

She values sophistication

and contemporary luxury
brands and spends on average
$4,000 annually on such
brands
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 Anna sees high quality as the main feature of
a luxury product

Features Aspirationals associate with a luxury product

83%
71%
54%
38%

High quality High price International brand A unique product

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 She likes to treat herself with clothes/shoes
and watches…..

Types of products aspirationals buy

65% 61% 61%

40%
26% 24%

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 ….And prefers to research She also prefers to purchase
products by from the store itself, but is open
seeing/touching/feeling them in to purchasing online too
Places where Aspirtaional look for information about luxury
the store
products

In a store 62% 89% of Aspirationals choose to

purchase luxury products at a store
Online news publications 51%
62% say they purchase when they
Fashion magazines 48% are outside of their home country –
wither while on holiday or travelling
Seek advice from friends and colleagues 39% for business
Social Media 38%
36% purchase luxury products online
Fashion blogs 28%
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 For Anna and other Aspirationals, one of main
triggers for luxury purchases is professional
achievements

50 %

Purchase luxury products after a

raise/bonus at work, receiving a
promotion or changing jobs
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 And these triggers can be further enhanced
when they
receive inspiring luxury content such as……
New product
67%
information

Product/services
reviews and 56%
comparisons

Events or
49%
promotions

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

Tim – The Travelista
 Travelista’s on LinkedIn…

Are Directors+ who are business travelers

…and they’re an extremely active audience

6.9x more 5X more engaged

connected with content

305% more likely 74% access

to view content LinkedIn via a
mobile

13
Source: LinkedIn Internal Data, January 2015
 Tim is a director at a wealth
management firm. He travels
regularly for business and he’s
always connected
 Tim deems luxury products more
as a “nice to have”. He has a
couple of luxury watches, likes
to buy expensive clothes, shoes
and owns a holiday home.

Tim isn't influenced by what

other people say about a
product. He buys luxury products
based on how he feels about the
product/brand.
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 Travelista’s like Tim spend big on luxury…..

$8,000 is the average annual spend

on luxury goods and services by
Travelista’s

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 Professional wins are not as much of a trigger for
Traveista’s to purchase luxury….

69% say birthdays or

anniversary’s are the main
trigger for them

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 Like Aspirationals, Travelista’s prefer to conduct luxury
product research in the store, but they also look to
fashion magazines..
Types of products Travelista’s buy
56% 53%
47%
39%
33%

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 They’re far more likely than the average luxury
consumer to purchase at airports or when they’re
holidaying in a different country

In a store 83%
In a diffrent country when
travelling for business 61%
Airport when travelling for
business 58%
In a different country when
travelling for leisure 53%

Online 44%
Airport when travelling for
leisure 42%
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
They’re inspired by luxury content such as product
reviews and information on launches

Product reviews 69%

New product/brand launches 67%

Events or promotions 53%

Topics and themes affecting

the industry 28%

Company news and current

events 28%

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

Henry – The High Net Worth
Individual
 High Net Worth Individuals on LinkedIn…
Are Directors+ who are business travelers who work in the following industries:
Banking, insurance, financial services, investment banking, accounting, venture capital and private
equity, commercial real estate, capital markets, legal services and management consulting

…and they’re active on the platform

3x more 38% more

connected likely to engage
with content

48% more likely 70% access

to view content LinkedIn via a
mobile
22
Source: LinkedIn Internal Data, January 2015
Henry is the managing director
of Managing Consultant
company.
 Henry owns a few expensive
watches, likes to buy luxury
clothes and indeed cars.

He looks for brands which

portray heritage and tradition,
and despite his elevated status
looks for detailed information
before purchasing

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

When doing research on luxury 57% of HNWI’s research luxury
products, Henry goes to the products in the store
store where he can
see/feel/touch the product…
90% say they purchase in the
…and primarily purchases in a store itself
store too

38% say they buy luxury

When he chooses to purchase products based on their
a luxury product he does so intuition
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 Quality and high price are the features that most define
a luxury product for Henry

High quality 84%

High price 62%

A unique product 43%

International brand 41%

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 $13,000 is their
HNWI’s have big budgets
when it comes to luxury average annual
products luxury spend

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 Clothes and watched are the main luxury products
HNWI’s purchase

Clothing/shoes 82%

Watches 68%

Bags 54%

Beauty/personal grooming products 44%

Cars 34%

Cars 34%

Luggage 32%
Alex – Alpha
 Alpha’s on LinkedIn…
Are managers+ who work in the following industries: Banking, insurance, financial services,
investment banking, investment management, accounting, venture capital and private equity, commercial real
estate, capital markets, law practice, legal services, mgmt. consulting, PR & communications

…and they’re a very active audience

2.5x more 34% more

connected engaged with
content

31% more likely 71% access

to view content LinkedIn via a
mobile
30
Source: LinkedIn Internal Data, January 2015
 Alex is a partner in an
international legal firm. She
specializes in commercial and
insurance litigation.
On average, Alex spends $8000 a
year on luxury products. She
buys luxury products because of
how they make her feel and
needs to have detailed
information before purchasing.

She values elegance and

sophistication and is most
attracted to brands which portray
heritage/tradition
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 Quality, price and uniqueness are features that Alpha’
associate
with luxury brands

High Quality 81%

High Price 62%

International brand 45%

A unique product 43%

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 Types of luxury products bought
76%
66%
59%

40%
Watches, clothes, and bags are their
favourite luxury purchases

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 Alpha’s research luxury products:
1. In a store (59%)
2. Fashion magazines
(47%)
3. Online news publications
(40%)
4. Get advice from
Family/colleagues (32%)
and prefer to make the purchase….
1. In a store (90%)
2. In a different country when
traveling for business/leisure
(71%)
3. At the airport (50%)
4. Online (29%)
LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014
 They look for content such as new product lunches and
product reviews to help them make their purchase
decisions

New product/brand launches 69%

Product reviews/comparisons 63%

Events or promotions 55%

Topics and themes affecting the

32%
industry

LinkedIn luxury study, Q4 2014

 Key Findings and Recommendations
• In general luxury consumers are very focused on what they will gain and
how it will benefit them in their lives. They are confident in their own
judgement and not concerned about making mistakes.
• Communications need to be focused on what they will achieve or acquire
and not what they will avoid or eliminate by buying the product.

• They first gather information about the items that they are considering and
then make their own decision – no snap, spontaneous decisions. Very
calculated.

• Important to highlight details about the product that confirm its luxury
status and differentiate it from the mass market.
• Communications should include make reference to a number of specific
 Key Findings and Recommendations
• Feel (and other emotions) are more important than appearance of a
product.
• It is very important that communications give luxury goods consumers
a very clear sense of what the physical interaction with the product
will be like and the positive feelings that they will experience when they
own it.

• For luxury goods, the history of the product and the traditional values
that it upholds are very important in the buying decision
• Whilst it is also necessary to make these relevant to the present day
and the consumer’s current lifestyle.
• Future innovation is of less of a draw. Clients need to reference a
product’s heritage and long standing standards / values within a