Luxury Management Students Develop an Omnichannel Experience for Top Designers

Over an intensive two week period this summer, students in the HEC Paris Luxury Management Summer School Program worked with popular luxury brands to create an innovative and interactive experience for digital customers.

Led by Affiliate Professor of Marketing Anne Michaut, HEC Paris Summer School students worked in teams to bring virtual customers of a brand of their choice an experience parallel to in-store shopping. Known as Omnichannel Experience, this new strategy aims to provide all shoppers—online or offline—with the same high-quality service that distinguishes a luxury boutique. Teams presented their proposals to a jury of HEC Professors and company executives, including Luxury consultant and HEC alumnus Laurent Delporte.

One team of students earned recognition for exceptional work. The jury presented the award for Most Innovative Presentation to Varun Budhiraja, Valentine Favril, Antonella Lattanzio, Corey Li, Yihan She, and Rachel Tiong, who focused on the luxury car manufacturer Porsche. Other proposals included building the social media presence of Louboutin, and developing virtual mirror technology for Elie Saab.

“I really enjoyed having the freedom to work on any brand,” said German student Melissa Khatabi. “We were offered guidance, but we were free to pursue our own interests.”

For Pakistani student Uzair Bin Khalid, the project was about more than brand development. “It was truly eye-opening. We not only learned about the luxury sector in detail, but also had the opportunity to explore luxury marketing from so many different cultural perspectives.”

The presentations marked the culmination of the intensive two-week program, during which students attended lectures from top industry executives including Georges-Edouard Dias, the longtime Chief Digital Officer of L’Oreal, and Patrick Albaladejo, Assistant Director of Hermès International. Held in conjunction with group work, these guest lectures enabled students to explore a diverse array of topics related to the luxury sector, ranging from brand development to the integration of new technologies.

The HEC Paris Summer School offers innovative courses to undergraduate students and recent graduates from around the world. For more information or to apply, visit: hec.edu/summer-school