It is all too easy to focus on global brands and familiar national brands in our home market as case studies for innovation or best practice. However, numerous successful brands around the world are (so far) only well-known in their local markets. Analysing how and why these companies are prospering, can teach other firms looking to expand into new territories how to make the most of the opportunity. During the recent SheerLuxe conference in London, we discussed examples of what you can learn from brands you’ve never heard of, with a range of luxury brands.
4. obaninternational.com
• Top rank of French men's fashion sites
• Editorial first, plus now has online store,
physical stores
• Nearly 5 million unique visitors, 2017
• 99% satisfaction rate for their clothing brand
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F R A N C E
7. obaninternational.com
Tactics
• Authenticity builds community
• Media first approach, goal is to inform
not sell
• Content excellence not sacrificed
• Become reference for good brands
• Repeat visitors
• No discounting
• Profitable store business
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C A N A D A
• Backpack, luggage brand
• Aimed at 18-to-35-year-old
• Capturing the retro backpack trend
• Invoking American nostalgia
• 44 retail locations worldwide
9. obaninternational.com
“To create a brand that people
covet, the air of elusiveness
surrounding the brand must be
maintained.”
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Krisztina, Canada
10. obaninternational.com
• Written in English
• Posts create sense of wanderlust and
promote travelling with their products
10
959k followers
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Tactics
• Avoid mass marketing
• Strategic advertising on social media
• Focus on Instagram
• Selective brand partnerships
• Regional customization and
personalization
• Local retailer partnerships Liberty of
London
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C A N A D A
• Luxury winter outerwear
• Toronto, founded 1957
• Europe & Japan but more recently popular in
the United States
• Four country-specific sites
• 15 to 20 physical stores worldwide by 2020
14. obaninternational.com14
• Videos in English
• Goose People campaign: adventurous
lifestyle and sense of discovery/exploration
4k subscribers | 3k – 710k views per video
17. obaninternational.com
“Guide Shop – stores where you
can go try on any product, but
buy it online (from the app, in-
store/tablets) with same-day
delivery.”
17
Gabriela, Brazil
18. obaninternational.com
• Written in Portuguese
• Combination of products and lifestyle photos
creates a strong/coveted brand image
18
3k followers
24. obaninternational.com24
• Gold and Diamond jewellery brand
• Focus on engagement and wedding ring
market
• ecommerce with fast turnaround
S W I T Z E R L A N D
26. obaninternational.com
• Captions written in both English and French
• Curated feed combines product photos with
nature shots to promote collections
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7k follows
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S P A I N
• Trading social media platform
• Merged with LetGo to penetrate US
market
• Combines mobile platform, GPS to
arrange face-to-face purchasing with
people in vicinity
30. obaninternational.com
• Posts written in Spanish
• Promotion of existing advertising campaigns
• Customer support and playful interactions
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34k follows
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M A L A Y S I A
• Omnichannel fashion retailer
• Local Asian brands to consumers
worldwide
• Ships globally
• 500 brands housed
• Next target is West Asia
34. obaninternational.com
• Written in English
• Instagram stories
show behind the
scenes and direct
customers to
physical stores
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559k followers
35. obaninternational.com35
Tactics
• Focus on local brands
• Investment to assist brands scale up
• Innovative end-to-end solution creates
strong relationships and loyalty with
designers
• Identify strong niche – Hijab market
• Approachable – created community
• Founders as brands
36. obaninternational.com36
D U B A I
• Ecommerce marketplace
• Founded in Dubai, 2005
• Aimed at Arabic speaking Middle East
markets
• Local and imported products
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• Videos in English
• Educational videos help customers choose
products and minimizes returns
14k subscribers | Top video has 2.7m views
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Tactics
• Clear purpose
• Videos and filters to aid size selection
• Make easy to select right size
Universal Cup Size (UCS)
• Builds trust in seller that is keen to
have happy customers
• Reduces returns and disappointment
44. obaninternational.com44
• Fashion ecommerce company
• Japan and America
• ZOZOSUIT allows shoppers to purchase from
the ZOZO collections for men and women
• Part of Start Today
J A P A N
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Summary
• Enormous growth in demand in international markets
• Innovative approaches are delivering success locally
• E-commerce adaptation moving at very fast pace
• Truly localised are not based on English speaking versions
• Local brands help create the market which can be tapped into
incorporating local strategies that work
50. What can you
learn from brands
you have never
heard of?
Greig Holbrook
Founder, Oban International @ObanIntl
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