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Ferragamo misses the mark with mobile New York Times ads

September 26, 2011

Ferragamo's mobile landing page

Italian handbag and footwear designer Salvatore Ferragamo is missing out on possible mobile commerce sales by not linking advertisements to an optimized site following its banner ads in the New York Times mobile application for the iPhone.

Ferragamo’s New York Times ads give consumers the option of visiting branded social media sites or the non-optimized Web site. However, Ferragamo’s Web site is run on Flash, disabling all content for Apple users.

“Smartphone owners use their mobile devices to search for a specific retailer or product because they want the convenience and speed that mobility offers,” said Dan Lowden, vice president of marketing at Digby, Austin, TX.

“If a banner ad leads to a non-optimized Web page, the retailer loses the opportunity to fully engage with that shopper as the experience can be time-consuming and frustrating,” he said.

Mr. Lowden is not affiliated with Ferragamo, but agreed to comment as a third-party expert.

Missing link
When consumers tap on the ads, they are brought to a branded page that asks them to enter contact information to be added to the Ferragamo mailing list.

There is an option to skip this step at the bottom of the page.

Ferragamo asks users to registers as soon as they tap on the ad

After moving on, the consumer is brought to a landing page which explains that a mobile site is coming soon. But, in the meantime, the consumer can shop on http://www.ferragamo.com, visit the branded Facebook and Twitter pages or view the latest ad campaign video on Ferragamo’s YouTube channel.

By linking consumers to the social media sites, Ferragamo may be attempting to build a loyal following.

However, if consumers choose to click-through to the branded Web site, they are unable to see content since the site is run on Flash.

This will likely frustrate consumers because they cannot use the ad except for social media purposes.

Ferragamo's Flash-driven site does not load

“It is crucial for businesses to support their marketing efforts with a mobile site that is accessible on the multitude of Web-enabled devices,” said Nick Taylor, CEO of Usablenet, New York.

“If a banner ad does not redirect to a mobile-optimized view of the Web site, businesses run the risk of alienating potential customers by delivering a less-than-optimal experience when users click through banners and other advertisements,” he said.

Wrong foot?
Ferragamo may have wanted to consider leaving out the click-through to the Web site option, or switching it for a store locator.

A mobile-optimized, geolocation-based store locator could help Ferragamo drive in-store sales.

Indeed, location-based mobile ads and apps have been effective in-store drivers for other luxury brands (see story).

“As more customers leverage their mobile devices for shopping, an efficient mobile site with full commerce capabilities will drive in-store traffic and enhance the revenue stream from mobile,” Usablenet’s Mr. Taylor said.

However, the lack of a mobile-optimized site may likely curb the effectiveness of the ad campaign.

For example, department store Barneys New York likely missed an opportunity to connect with consumers and see an ROI on its QR code campaign because consumers who scanned the code were not linked through to a mobile site (see story).

By not providing consumers with a mobile-optimized site, Ferragamo could possibly turn affluent shoppers off from the brand.

Luxury retailers should create mobile-optimized Web sites that allow customers to search, browse and buy their products at any time regardless of their location, per Digby’s Mr. Lowden.

“Mobile provides retailers the opportunity to engage with their customers on a deeper, more personal level,” Mr. Lowden said.

“A mobile-optimized Web site creates an engaging, easy-to-use and convenient mobile shopping experience for a brand’s valuable consumers, whether they are on the go, at home or in the retail store,” he said.

“Creating a mobile-optimized Web site has become a necessity for retailers to increase incremental revenue, sales and customer loyalty and adoption.”

Final Take
Kayla Hutzler, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

Kayla Hutzler is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are automotive, consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, financial services, media/publishing, software and technology, telecommunications, travel and hospitality, real estate, retail and sports. Reach her at kayla@napean.com.