Cartier Bridal app
Luxury automakers, publishers, hoteliers and fashion designers have made their mark in the mobile space in the third quarter, developing applications that engage, entertain and inform a bevy of affluent consumers.
Depending on the target consumer and product that a brand is marketing, a luxury marketer can find innovative ways to connect with its audience through mobile. Upscale brands have made opportunities for themselves to drive foot traffic to bricks-and-mortar locations, increase multichannel transactions and generally increase awareness using apps.
Here are the best mobile apps of the third quarter, in alphabetical order:
BMW Individual app
BMW’s Financial Services Group and Individual – The German automaker took the lead last quarter with two impressive apps for the iPad and iPhone.
The first was created by BMW Financial Services Group that allows all driving enthusiasts to share driving tips, road trips and best-route information.
The app also allows BMW consumers to access their BMW Financial Services accounts through their mobile phones for quick and easy payments.
The automaker also released its Individual app, which highlights BMW’s range of customizable vehicles along with the various interior and exterior options.
The app works like an interactive storybook, letting consumers choose from a table of contents and flip through three or four interactive pages per category.
Both apps are available for free in Apple’s App Store.
Click here to download the BMW Individual app.
Click here to download the BMW Financial Services app.
Cartier’s Cartier Bridal – Jeweler Cartier is targeting brides-to-be with the release of its Cartier Bridal iPad and iPhone apps that allow consumers to search collections, find the nearest boutique and create their own ring.
The app comprises Cartier’s collection of both wedding bands and engagement rings.
Real or aspirational brides-to-be can measure their ring finger size, save a desired ring to their wish lists and browse through the products ranging $4,025 to $75,275 depending on color, cut, clarity and carat.
The app is available for free in Apple’s App Store.
Click here to download the Cartier Bridal app.
Elite Traveler is now on the iPad
Elite Traveler – The private jet lifestyle magazine Elite Traveler made its first foray into mobile last quarter with its iPad and iPhone version of its print magazine.
Elite Traveler has launched various print publications worldwide, but this new app makes the content more interactive.
The app, available in Apple’s App Store, can be downloaded in its entirety for free.
In addition to content from the magazine that is published six times a year, the Elite Traveler app will include the Elite Traveler City Guides, which have been quite successful on the brand’s Web site since their launch in January.
The City Guides contain information such as where to stay, dine and be pampered along with what to during the day, night and featured events.
There is also a shopping guide and information for all of the marinas, private jet terminals and other exclusive transportation.
Click here to download the Elite Traveler app.
Fashion's Night Out app
Conde Nast’s Fashion’s Night Out – The Vogue magazine-curated Fashion’s Night Out entered its third year in 2011, but introduced a mobile app for the first time last quarter.
Luxury retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Alexander McQueen, Bloomingdale’s, Gucci and Marc Jacobs were better seen through the app that let fashionistas find stores and special deals during Fashion’s Night Out Sept. 8.
The app is free in Apple’s App Store and was optimized for both the iPad and iPhone.
The primary features were installed to use the device’s GPS to find events and retailers near the user and save favorite store locations to make an agenda for the night.
In addition, the app was commerce-enabled and allowed consumers to buy products and apparel from brands’ sites in-app.
Although the app was functional for Fashion’s Night Out and a few days leading up to the event, it does not have any purpose presumably until it comes around again next year.
Click here to download the FNO NYC Guide app.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Hideaway magazine’s 100 Luxury Hotels – Klocke Publishing House’s Hideaways international travel magazine revealed the top 100 luxury hotels around the world via stunning videos and images in mobile apps.
The app is available for the iPad and iPhone and is $5.99 in Apple’s App Store.
The magazine typically strayed from mainstream luxury hotel chains and focused on hidden gems worldwide such as the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in Maldives that has a restaurant underwater where guests can enjoy a 270-degree view of undersea life, as the walls and ceiling are glass.
Consumers can look through high-resolution images of each property and read informative text.
Hideaways also offers their chosen hotels with videos so that consumers can see the entire resort or hotel in full detail.
Click here to download the top 100 hotels app from Hideaways.
Hotel Konigshof
Hotel Königshof – Based in Munich, Hotel Königshof is the first hotel in its group that has advanced into mobile commerce.
A member of Geisel Privathotels, Hotel Königshof launched the app that focuses on nearby attractions, special packages and reservations bookings.
Available for the iPad and iPhone, the app can be downloaded for free in Apple’s App Store.
Hotel Königshof’s app displays all of its features in a no-fuss way on the landing page, making it easy-to-navigate.
The app also features a spinning globe and a variety of search and browsing options.
Click here to download the Hotel Königshof app.
Stella McCartney's iPad app
Stella McCartney – British designer Stella McCartney updated its app last quarter, further showcasing its commerce functionality and the founder’s familial background.
In addition, the app was updated to highlight images, photos and videos from its new campaigns.
Stella McCartney’s app was announced alongside the expansion of the designer’s ecommerce site that now includes 30 countries worldwide.
One feature of the app is a gallery image, entitled “Linda McCartney, a life in photographs,” that contains photos hand-selected by the designer. Linda McCartney was the designer’s mother.
To engage all fashion fans, not just followers of the brand, Stella McCartney has also included a video of the making of this year’s Met Gala dresses in addition to behind-the-scenes video and images from the brand’s most recent collections.
Click here to download Stella’s World.
Thierry Mugler's Angel app
Thierry Mugler’s Angel – The French fashion house Thierry Mugler launched its second iPhone app and first iPad app with in-depth look at its Angel fragrance line.
The highly-interactive app allows consumers to explore the Angel line, create their own campaign and look at behind-the-scenes videos of brand ambassador and actress Eva Mendez.
Available for the iPad and iPhone, the app is available for free in Apple’s App Store.
What is most laudable is the difference between the two platforms.
They are basically the same, but are specifically designed to showcase each device’s specific features — that is, the iPhone version is not just a scrunched replica of the iPad, or vice versa.
Click here to download Thierry Mugler’s Angel app.
The Daily W
W magazine’s Daily W – Condé Nast’s W magazine recently released its iPad-only Daily W mobile app, giving consumers a chance to interact with the magazine between monthly issues.
The Daily W app is updated seven days a week with original fashion, beauty, celebrity, accessories and design and travel information.
U.S. fashion brand Calvin Klein was the sole sponsor for the app when it launched last month.
The app boasts an easy-to-use horizontal navigation bar with tabs including fashion, celebrity, beauty, accessories and design and travel.
Every page of the app is separated into horizontal thirds and can be scrolled down to reveal older content.
The app’s celebrity section that contains screen tests which are short video snippets of interviews conducted by editor in chief Lynn Hirschberg.
The Daily W is available in Apple’s App Store.
Click here to download the Daily W app.
Yachts from YCO
YCO’s YachtBox – The luxury yacht company YCO launched its first app in preparation for the summer season this past quarter.
The YachtBox is the world’s first brokerage yacht app, claims YCO.
YCO describes the app as “a portable, interactive catalog of luxury super yachts and all that goes with them.”
Consumers are able to browse through yachts via company name, port locations, number of guests to be on the vessel, size and prices.
Another section of the app is dedicated to yacht shows, including attendance records, number of yachts at the show and a map of the layout.
The company is likely looking to increase vessel purchase, charter and management ease with the app, which displays yachts from companies worldwide.
Click here to download the YCO YachtBox app.
Final Take
Rachel Lamb, associate reporter on Luxury Daily, New York