Just talked to Yizhi at WatchLuxus.com, our latest advertiser and a man with a mission. We did a quick Q&A over email and here’s what I got.
Me: Tell me about WatchLuxus.com
Yizhi: Watchluxus.com is designed to become the ultimate destination for people interested in anything connected with the quality watch market.
The website offers a complete on-line catalogue of every high-value wristwatch collection, world-wide, to support everyone – from people buying a gift, to an expert looking for a collector’s item. The site also features a watch-finder, market-place for secondhand watches, watch forum and news blog.
Me: Hey, we’re a news blog too! But that’s OK. Now you mentioned something about helping in the purchase process?
Y: Anyone familiar with the typical purchase cycle will know that there are a number of stages involved when people are looking to buy an item. At its very simplistic, these stages are:
1) an awareness that there is a problem to solve or a need to satisfy
2) a search for how to solve this problem or satisfy the need
3) an evaluation of the possible solutions/ items
4) a decision on what is to be purchased
5) the actual purchase
6) post-purchase reflection.
Increasingly, people are using the web to undertake part or all of this buying process. Watchluxus.com seeks to assist a buyer throughout the purchase cycle. Sponsorship advertising seeks to raise awareness of a possible need or desire. Our database of more than 18,000 watches (to be increased to 30,000 by December) assists with the search, evaluation and decision phases.
Once a watch has been selected, visitors will be guided to a list of world-wide retailers where the item can be purchased. Watchluxus is aware of the problem of counterfeit timepieces and assists people to find a certified retailer. Post-purchase, people will be encouraged to re-visit the site to give feedback on their new bounty and start planning their next buy! Throughout, interaction with other visitors should assist the buying process and reassure an (often expensive) purchase decision.
Me: Who should be going to WatchLuxus.com?
Y: Watchluxus is designed to appeal to everyone interested in purchasing a luxury item and/or interested in the watch market.
– People at every stage of the decision process
People may have a budget but no idea of the item with which they wish to use their money – in which case visiting watchluxus.com hopes to persuade people towards the luxury watch market. Or, people may have a budget and have decided to buy a watch – in which case watchluxus.com helps people decide on the exact watch. Finally, people may have a budget, know that they want a watch and have an idea of the type of watch – in which case watchluxus.com offers reassurance with the purchase decision and assists people with finding a retailer.
Me: You had some very cool stratifications when it comes to watch buyers. Who are these madmen?
Y: First you have the Careful indulgers
People who are unlikely to make an impulse purchase but prefer a more practical & reasoned approach to an expensive purchase. These people enjoy the research stage of buying and use the internet to help with this stage. These people tend to be more educated, in a 2-person household and aged 35 to 55 years. Watchluxus.com is the ideal website to support these ‘careful indulgers’ with their purchase.
– Materially rich, but time poor
High income households with little time have the opportunity to review the entire luxury watch category from a single website in a hassle-free, pleasurable manner. Whereas previously, these people would have visited a couple of shops and browsed a couple of watch brand websites, on visiting watchluxus.com, the whole market is at their disposal to review.
– Self-expressive, aspirational shopper
Many purchases are as a means of self-expression; to reaffirm personal identity and declare it to others. Watchluxus.com offers a ‘Virtual Watchbox’ which enables visitors to select their ideal watch with a view to purchasing the same at a later time. The watchluxus.com forum and news also seek to assist these users with the reassurance they need to identify their favourite brand and complete a purchase.
– Watch Aficionados
The size of the watchluxus.com database, together with the forums, blog and marketplace will attract watch fanatics and build a ‘watchluxus community’. Such a community will not only reassure other visitors but also help share news about watch brands (e.g. collectors items/ sale prices/ new releases/ events); give feedback on new collections and gain information about new trends and desires.
Watchluxus.com’s audience will be further diversified by its international reach, by the end of the year it will be available in French and German languages.
Me: I want to be a Careful Indulger. Or maybe Materially rich, but time poor. So what’s the bottom line?
Y: Watchluxus.com is designed to be intuitive, easy to use and quick. There is no time wasted with heavy graphics and pictures (since watchluxus.com is not building its own brand image). As a result, the website is ideal for goal-orientated people (who really are looking for something) who might otherwise be frustrated with imagery designed to build a brand image.
To be clear: people actually looking to make a purchase are more likely to use watchluxus.com than a site more focused on brand building. Such people will spend time on watchluxus.com; currently the average time spent on the site is 5 minutes; we expect this to steadily increase.
Me: Nice. I can barely spend 5 seconds on most watch sites, but the design is great. Good talking to you.
Y: Thank you.
