The Trail Less Traveled app
Luxury marketers used mobile applications to let consumers experience new products easily through their smartphones and tablets during the first half of 2013.
Many automakers and watchmakers created mobile technologies for consumers to virtually try on on or test-drive their products. The most effective apps were those that gave consumers a positive product experience and provided a look into a brand through mobile devices.
Here are the top 10 luxury brand mobile apps of the first half of 2013, in alphabetical order.
Chopard Happy Sport
Chopard’s Happy Sport app - Swiss jeweler Chopard celebrated the anniversary of its Happy Sport watch through a mobile app that lets consumers personalize their own timepiece and explore other custom creations.
The “My Happy Sport” app gives users complete control of every piece of their watch.
With the option to design one from scratch, the app takes users through a variety of different steps to customize every aspect of their watch.
The app asks consumers to enter their contact information and gives them a unique code to be able to access their design after all of the personalization steps are complete. Once the information has been entered, consumers can locate a nearby store or share their design on social media.
Ferrari mobile game
Ferrari’s Scuderia Ferrari Race app - Ferrari is engaging Formula One racing enthusiasts and gamers with a mobile racing app that lets players be a part of the Italian automaker’s team.
The “Scuderia Ferrari Race 2013″ app allows consumers to virtually sit in the driver’s seat of a Ferrari F138.
The game is loaded with six tracks that are set in Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Monaco and the United States. The Italian track is modeled after Ferrari’s renowned track the Mugello Circuit in Florence.
Players can customize their own races with tracks, playing modes, simulated weather and other control aspects.
The app also has a multi-player option so that consumers can play against one another through Bluetooth technology and incorporates social sharing features so players can share their progress through Facebook and Twitter.
In addition, there is an online leader-board that shows the scores for a global competition taking place March 27-December 31.
The players with the best scores will be awarded an exclusive prize. The prizes are 10 miniature F138 cars with drivers Fernando Alonso’s or Felipe Massa’s autograph.
Beverly Wilshire mobile app
Four Seasons’ Beverly Wilshire app - Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA, enhanced the hotel experience through a mobile app that allows guests to take full control of their stay.
The “Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills” app gives guests the ability to explore the hotel, make restaurant reservations, order room service and plan other aspects of their stay. This app will help guests while on-site and show off the hotel’s offers to consumers who are planning vacations.
The app gives consumers the opportunity to explore hotel offers through menu options, which are hotel information, dining, housekeeping, wake-up call, luggage assistance, valet parking, concierge, transportation, maps and directions, spa and nail bar, meetings and events, room reservations, newsletter and social media.
In addition, the app allows guests to give feedback to the hotel.
The Trail Less Traveled app
Land Rover’s The Trail Less Traveled app - Land Rover North America is promoting its next-generation Range Rover model features and driving capabilities through an interactive mobile app.
The “Range Rover: The Trail Less Traveled” app gives consumers the chance to virtually experience riding in the vehicle in a variety of different settings and viewpoints.
The app gives users a full inside and outside look at the new Range Rover through eight different stages and four camera views. Each stage gives four views that show off the vehicle from multiple angles to give a 360-degree experience.
App users can choose their perspective, soundtrack and stage on which to drive the Range Rover.
The stages take users through interactive video courses that include winding roads, rough terrain, water, climbing up and down hills and an elegant arrival.
At the end of a stage, additional content is offered including graphics, video and text so that consumers can explore all of the details of the vehicle.
Live Alpine Skiing by Longines
Longines’ Live Alpine Skiing app - Swiss watchmaker Longines tapped its involvement in the world of alpine skiing for a mobile app that gives enthusiasts news and updates on the sport.
The app titled “Live Alpine Skiing” allows users to find out the latest about events and competitors in the area of alpine skiing.
Consumers can follow the FIS World Cup and World Championship competitions, obtain exclusive information and alerts on their favorite skiers, browse a glossary of ski terms, get the latest news from White Circus Ski Camp, view the official rankings list, view competition schedules and results and follow the rankings for the Longines Rising Ski Star Award.
The start screen of the app displays the next live ski event and the weather conditions in that area, the latest news headlines and the current standings for male and female skiers.
From the home screen, users can share the app with their social media followers through the Facebook and Twitter buttons on the top of the screen.
Clicking on the latest news updates leads users to a screen to view the article and allows them to share it through Twitter or Facebook as well.
LuxDeco iPad app
LuxDeco’s magazine app - Online home retailer LuxDeco incorporated commerce into its iPad magazine since more than 25 percent of its sales come from smartphones and tablets.
The app offers content on home design trends and other topics of interest to affluent consumers. British-owned LuxDeco’s marketing strategy centers on digital and social media as well as the ability to be both a retailer and lifestyle source for its customers.
LuxDeco offers home items priced from approximately $80 to $70,000. The app leverages its range by offering trend- and lifestyle-focused content with direct links to browse products and make a purchase.
The content is in the form of articles, video features, image galleries and exclusive interviews.
The target audience for the app is affluent consumers ages 25-50, the majority of whom are women.
iVIP Black app
Magellan Jets’ iVip app - Private aviation provider Magellan Jets is eyeing millionaires through a partnership with iVIP’s luxury lifestyle application suite to offer exclusive benefits to high-net-worth users.
There are four levels in iVIP’s app membership including iVIP Black for certified millionaires. Magellan is offering extras for consumers at each level – Black, Blue, City and Red – to raise awareness of its services to wealthy and aspirational consumers.
Consumers who buy one of the paid memberships or download the free iVIP Red app have access to personalized and upgraded experiences from brand partners including Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Virgin Limited Edition, Firmdale Hotels and Magellan Jets.
Brands that give benefits through the app suite include hotels, restaurants, butlers, theaters, personal trainers, private jets, casinos, personal styling and others.
IVIP app users can geo-locate venues and services to receive gifts, welcome packages, room upgrades, exclusive rates, priority access and more.
Magellan Jets is offering a set of complimentary flight add-ons and upgrades to iVIP members depending on their level.
IVIP Black members can receive on board-catering, ground transportation and one complimentary upgrade.
Black membership is the highest level in the app suite and is reserved for high-net-worth consumers who can certify that they have assets or income of more than £1 million, or approximately $1.5 million.
Consumers can download the iVIP Black app for $999.99, the Blue membership for $149.99 or the Red membership for free in the app store. Membership lasts one year.
Mercedes BlueEFFICIENCY app
Mercedes-Benz’s BlueEFFICIENCY battery saver app - German automaker Mercedes-Benz propelled environmental efforts through a mobile app that shows off the energy-saving technology used in its vehicles.
The “BlueEFFICIENCY battery saver” mobile app helps Android users expand their smartphone’s battery life by mimicking the technology that Mercedes uses in its vehicles to save fuel.
The app saves batter power in Android devices without affecting functionality.
The main screen of the app gives consumers different options of battery saving technology. Users can choose between “mild” for basic battery savings, “heavy” for advanced savings and “emergency” for calls and texts only.
Also, the app shows users how many hours of energy they have saved today and in total since using the app.
In each setting, consumers can customize specific options to get the most out of the battery-saving technology while still using the most important tools on their phone.
A click-through on the “How it works” button on the main screen takes consumers to a page where they can watch a video or visit the Mercedes Web site to learn more.
Montblanc’s Timepieces app - Watchmaker Montblanc pushed its 2013
Montblanc's Timepieces iPad app
collections through an iPad app that lets users browse layers of content on its history, innovations and watch models and offers a mobile try-on tool that is unique to the platform.
The free app was released to correspond with the watchmaker’s presentation of its 2013 collection at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva and the introduction of the “Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours” chronograph.
The three main sections of the app are Calibres, Collections and Insights. Each of these sections contains numerous subsections so that consumers can deeply explore the area.
Throughout the app are features to display the history and current collections such as images, readings, three-dimensional animations, videos, charts and Montblanc’s True View tool.
Each timepiece that is accessible in the app can be displayed using the True View feature. The tool lets users measure the width of their wrist and see the watch worn on a virtual model with the same size wrist.
Porsche Cayman app
Porsche’s Code of the Curve app - Porsche is virtually putting consumers in the front seat of its Cayman vehicle via a mobile app that is designed to promote safe driving and build brand awareness, while also letting consumers compete in a variety of challenges.
The “Porsche Code of the Curve” mobile app aims to promote unity between its drivers primarily through an interactive scoreboard.
A brief look at the exterior, interior and specs of the car immediately greet the user. Different parts of the car are studded with nodules that a consumer can touch for a description of that particular feature.
Additionally, statistics expound upon the car’s technical abilities, which can be found under the specs section.
Through the various challenges, users can can pick from a variety of pre-meditated routes.
Each route features an instructional video and three easy-to-follow steps for proper execution.
The first step concerns preparation, the second step initiates the drive and the final step encourages drivers to improve upon their score.
Consumers can also craft their own routes while the app monitors and records every curve.
Final take
Erin Shea, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York