Case study – How a Luxury fashion brand harnesses Instagram to boost revenue

How fashion designer brand Michael Kors integrates Instagram and other social media to boost Ecommerce and store revenue

Luxury high-end fashion designer brand Michael Kors recently reported that it achieved a 20% uplift in sales in North America and 73% across its ecommerce site at the end of last year with strong growth in the UK and Japan up to 72% for the quarter also.

What's behind this growth? An integrated approach to marketing according to the Chairman's CEO Ido, he explains:

'As a company, we believe that a dynamic and integrated approach to marketing will better inform, engage, educate and inspire our customers as we continue to grow our brand awareness global.'

In 2013, they ranked in the top ten fashion brands according to Starcount for their use of social media and the following year, Michael Kors was named as the 'most searched for high street brand' according to Google's Zeitgeist 2013 report.

What's behind the ecommerce success story for Michael Kors?

They recognise the importance and expectations of the omnichannel shopping experience across all channels and recently revamped their websites in the USA and Canada.They are capturing leads via their newsletter and really engaging with their social media followers across Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Instagram and Pinterest are particularly important given the visual appeal of their products.

So let's look particularly at their Instagram strategy to boost followers

With 3.6 million followers, it's clear they have a strong following for their luxury brand and are stimulating conversations through clever #hashtag campaigns. They have become more sophisticated with their campaigns which they started in 2012, driving visitors through Instagram competitions

Recently, they ran their #InstaKors campaign whereby Michael Kors followers could shop whilst they browse their Instagram feed. They invite their followers to sign up with their email address  and Instagram handle. As Instagramers engage by' liking' an image against Michael Kor's handle with the hashtag #InstaKors, they then receive a follow-up email with a link to purchase the item. Even though it's a few clicks, it's working as they are engage with their followers through the limitations of this platform.

This is how sign-up works..

So, a good example for other retailers to learn from subscribe to their email and social channels and see how they integrate them as they onboard their customers.

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