Nothing can predict sales and future growth for a luxury brand quite as accurately as its popularity online right now. Luxe Digital’s team analyses the online popularity of the world’s best luxury brands to rank the top 15 most sought-after brands among affluent consumers in 2020.
The luxury industry is first and foremost a brand-driven industry. People buy luxury goods and services because they trust and appreciate the brand. More than any other category, premium goods and services are driven by their brand’s perception and popularity. It is the third year in a row that Luxe publish their list of the top luxury brands online.
Luxe has published top 15 most popular luxury brands online in 2020.
| Rank | Brand | Category |
| 1 | Gucci | Fashion |
| 2 | Louis Vuitton | Fashion |
| 3 | Chanel | Fashion |
| 4 | Rolex | Watch |
| 5 | Dior | Fashion |
| 6 | Balenciaga | Fashion |
| 7 | Armani | Fashion |
| 8 | Yves Saint Laurent | Fashion |
| 9 | Tiffany | Jewellery |
| 10 | Burberry | Fashion |
| 11 | Hermès | Fashion |
| 12 | Cartier | Jewellery |
| 13 | Prada | Fashion |
| 14 | Fendi | Fashion |
| 15 | Lancôme | Beauty |
Let’s introduce top 5 most popular luxury brands online in 2020:
1. Gucci
Gucci maintains the top spot on our list of the most popular luxury brands of 2020, well ahead of all its competitors. The popularity of the brand is slightly declining in 2020, however. Online searches for Gucci dropped by 19% year over year.
This is partially due to an exceptional run for the Italian fashion brand over the previous years. Affluent millennials love the edgy design of the brand. The Italian luxury manufacturer maintains a particularly strong presence in the designer sneakers market.
But other premium brands also started to catch up with Gucci in 2020. Balenciaga, Valentino, Saint Laurent, and Fendi, in particular, are all seeing their share of online popularity growing over the same period.
That said, Gucci continues to reign king on the luxury market. Social media mentions for the brand across all digital platforms dwarfed all the other luxury fashion brands worldwide. The brand is discussed over 11 million times per month, on average.
2. Louis Vuitton
Famous French luxury house Louis Vuitton, or LV, gained one point to rank number two on our list of the most popular high-end brands online. The popularity of the brand has particularly grown after streetwear celebrity designer Virgil Abloh became their menswear Artistic Director.
Louis Vuitton continued to drop much-hyped collaborations across various fields. After working with New York cult streetwear brand Supreme to connect with Millennial luxury shoppers, LV partnered with premium audio company Master & Dynamic to design high-end wireless earbuds. These are just two examples among many broad-ranging collaborations to reach new audiences.
The value of the Louis Vuitton brand is estimated at $39.3 Billion in Forbes’ 2020 most valuable brands index. It’s the highest-ranking luxury brand on their list.
Online interest for Louis Vuitton over time
3. Chanel
Luxury French fashion house Chanel dropped one point on our list to rank as the third most popular luxury brand online. The haute-couture house increased its overall value, however, with an estimated brand value of $9 Billion (+1 Billion in a year).
Interestingly, despite its minimal e-commerce adoption, Chanel has been investing successfully in other areas of digital. Chanel is leading in digital luxury storytelling with thumb-stopping visuals and engaging videos that drive interest across platforms. The luxury brand excels at launching narrative-led and celebrity-driven campaigns to its audience, but also behind-the-scenes and tutorial-based content.
Chanel remains a privately held company owned by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, grandsons of Pierre Wertheimer, who was an early business partner of Coco Chanel. The product range includes clothes, fragrances, handbags and watches. The brand is most famous for its “little black dress”, the Chanel No. 5 perfume and the Chanel Suit.
4. Rolex
Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Rolex takes the fourth place on our list, gaining one point in 2020. The world-renowned luxury watch company is also featured on Forbes top 100 most valuable brands in the world, taking spot 78 with an estimated brand value of $9.1 Billion.
As is the case every year, new watch models are driving most of the online conversations around Rolex. The constantly increasing aftermarket value of vintage Rolex watches is also fueling interest for the brand. Just take a look at our list of the top 15 most expensive Rolex to see the affluent consumer’s interest for rare pieces.
Rolex has a substantial brand presence in the world of sports with endorsements in golf, motorsports, tennis and yachting. Some of the world’s most famous athletes advertise for Rolex watches including Roger Federer, Lindsey Vonn and Phil Mickelson.
5. Dior
French luxury goods company Christian Dior, or just Dior for short, gained two points on our ranking of the best brands. Dior takes the fifth place thanks to its exclusive collections and premium beauty product line.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, who became the creative director of the French luxury brand in July 2016, brought a Millennial-friendly approach to Dior. Her famous “We Should All Be Feminists” statement t-shirt and the social media-friendly “J’adior” branding among kitten heels and bags attracted huge attention on Instagram and are now paying off in increased popularity.
Previously reluctant to invest in Direct-to-Consumer e-commerce, Christian Dior is now focusing on omnichannel retail and online growth.
Disclamer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are from Luxe Disital.
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