Brand tracking and positioning research for luxury products

A luxury brand lives on desirability, and desirability does not show in sales until it is too late. Awareness can stay high while the next generation quietly stops considering the brand.

No credit card50 free respondentsGDPR & CCPA compliant
A woman with shopping bags under a glass-domed shopping arcade

How desirable is this brand to you today?

12345

Which jewellery brands come to mind first? Name up to four.

Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany… and a Swiss one, I forget the name.

You remember a Swiss brand but not its name. What do you remember about it: a piece, a boutique, an advert?

50free respondents
to start

A luxury brand study, from one question to the answer

1. Ask2. Follow up3. Analyse
Live
Survey

How desirable is this brand to you today?

12345

Which jewellery brands come to mind first? Name up to four.

Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany… and a Swiss one, I forget the name.

AI follow-up

You remember a Swiss brand but not its name. What do you remember about it: a piece, a boutique, an advert?

Answering by voice…

The AI asks one more question whenever an answer is vague, in the respondent's language.

Live results
How desirable is this brand to you today?n = 312
3.4mean / 5
6%1
14%2
31%3
33%4
16%5
312open answers coded into themes
Swiss craftsmanship34%
Feels made for my parents27%
Price above perceived value19%

Illustrative example with sample data, not a client study.

Luxury market research follows the brand funnel and the brand's image over time: who knows the brand, who considers it, who prefers it, and which values they associate with it compared with the other brands they look at.

SmartInterview runs short, elegant surveys that clients can answer by voice in their language, asks a follow-up when an answer is vague and codes every comment with the same codebook each wave, so every shift in the funnel comes with its reasons.

Why luxury brands track their funnel and positioning

Luxury decisions are about desirability, not volume. A new line, a collaboration, a price increase or a move upmarket can strengthen the brand or dilute it. Teams need to see the effect on each stage of the funnel and on the brand's image, in the words of clients and of the people they want to win.

  • See where the funnel leaks: known but not considered, considered but not chosen
  • Know which values the brand owns, and which it is losing
  • Measure desirability by generation and by market
  • Check a launch, a collaboration or a price move before it dilutes the brand
A boutique with leather handbags and shoes on wooden shelves
From question to study

Questions we help luxury and premium brands answer

Typical situations in this sector, and how we would set up the study for each.

Research objective

Measure desirability by generation, not only awareness

Who we ask

Clients and aspirational buyers aged 25 to 40

How SmartInterview answers it

Brand funnel and image attributes split by age, with an AI follow-up on what would make the brand feel made for them

Image by age

How desirable is the brand to you today?

12345
Not at allVery
Research objective

Track the positioning shift wave after wave

Who we ask

Existing, lapsed and prospective clients

How SmartInterview answers it

A tracker before and after the change: same funnel, same attributes, and an open question on what the brand stands for now

Tracker, before / after

Brand funnel among existing clients

Aware94%
Considered58%
Bought again31%
BeforeAfter
Research objective

Find where the funnel leaks in each market

Who we ask

Affluent buyers in your target markets

How SmartInterview answers it

Awareness, consideration and preference per market, with the AI probing the stage where each respondent drops out

AI follow-up

You know the brand but have never bought it. Why?

It's lovely, but I don't really know it here.What would you need to see or hear to consider it next time?
Research objective

Hear clients directly, not through anecdotes

Who we ask

Recent boutique visitors and online buyers

How SmartInterview answers it

A discreet link after the visit, voice answers in the client's language, and comments coded into themes

Voice answer, after the visit

What did you think of the new collection?

0:14
“Beautiful pieces, but the stones felt small for the price.”
Research objective

Test the fit before signing

Who we ask

Loyal clients and aspirational buyers

How SmartInterview answers it

Concept test with desirability and brand fit questions, and AI follow-ups on what feels right or wrong for the brand

Collaboration concept test

This collaboration makes the brand feel…

More desirableUnchangedLess exclusive
Research objective

Link price to perceived value and positioning

Who we ask

Clients and affluent non-clients

How SmartInterview answers it

Price acceptance next to value attributes, with a follow-up whenever a price feels too high

Price acceptance

At CHF 4,800, this watch feels…

A bargainFair for the brandToo expensive

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How it is done today, and with SmartInterview

TodayWith SmartInterview
Boutique feedback is anecdotal and filtered by the sales teamHear clients directly, by voice, in their language, in a few minutes
Annual brand studies arrive once, too slow to follow a collectionTrack desirability wave after wave with the same questions and codebook
Aspirational buyers abroad are out of reach for the CRMRecruit affluent consumers by market through a qualified panel
Price increases decided without knowing where clients draw the lineTest price points and hear why a price feels justified or excessive

Questions you can answer

  1. 1At which stage of the funnel do we lose the next generation?
  2. 2Which values do clients associate with us, and with the brands they compare us with?
  3. 3Did our move upmarket change how the brand is perceived?
  4. 4Would this collaboration strengthen or dilute the brand?
  5. 5Why are we considered but not chosen in a new market?

Who you can reach

Existing clients from your CRM or clienteling listsBoutique visitors, with a discreet QR code or link after the visitAffluent and aspirational buyers through a qualified panelClients in several markets, each answering in their language

What you can learn

The luxury brand funnel

Unaided and aided awareness, familiarity, consideration, preference and purchase, then loyalty and recommendation, for your brand and the brands clients compare it with.

Positioning and brand image

Craftsmanship, heritage, exclusivity, modernity, value: which attributes clients associate with each brand, and where you sit on the map against them.

The reasons behind every shift

Clients explain in their own words why the brand feels right, or no longer feels right. Comments are coded with one codebook, so a theme that grows between two waves shows immediately.

How SmartInterview works for luxury brands

  1. 1

    Define the business decision

    Name the decision: a positioning to confirm, a market to open, a collection or collaboration to launch, a price to set.

  2. 2

    Generate the survey

    Describe the decision in one sentence. SmartInterview drafts the questionnaire, scores its quality and flags leading or double-barrelled questions before anyone answers.

  3. 3

    Recruit the target audience

    Invite clients from your CRM with a short, personal message, reach boutique visitors with a discreet link, and survey affluent buyers in your target markets through a panel, wave after wave.

  4. 4

    Collect quantitative and qualitative answers

    Structured questions give the numbers. When an answer is vague, the AI asks a follow-up, by voice or text, in the respondent's language.

  5. 5

    Analyze segments and open-ended feedback

    Open answers are coded into themes with counts and sentiment, and every theme links back to the verbatims behind it. Compare segments side by side.

  6. 6

    Turn insights into recommendations

    Export the findings, the themes and the quotes to the team that has to decide, as a report or a spreadsheet.

Example studies

Colleagues discussing research results around a laptop
Illustrative study design

A twice-yearly brand tracker for a jewellery brand

Challenge

A jewellery brand is well known in its home market but wants to know whether younger affluent buyers still consider it, and how its image compares with the brands they look at.

Research design

Brand funnel on the client's brand and five competitors, image attributes for each known brand, and AI follow-ups on why a brand is or is not considered. Same questionnaire every six months, in three languages.

Respondents

Existing clients from the CRM and affluent buyers aged 25 to 55 in two markets.

Business decision

Keep the heritage story, add a contemporary line led by design, and track consideration under 35 at every wave.

Key insights

  • Awareness is high in every age group, but consideration drops sharply under 35
  • Younger buyers associate the brand with heritage, rarely with modernity or design

Luxury research topics teams search for

Luxury client satisfaction survey questions

Ask about the boutique welcome, the advice received, the piece itself and after-sales care, then what would make the experience exceptional. Keep it short and let clients answer by voice if they prefer.

How to measure brand desirability

Ask how desirable each house is today, which houses people would choose if price were no object, and why. Coded open answers show whether desirability comes from design, heritage, rarity or status.

Luxury brand awareness survey

Ask unaided which houses come to mind in your category, then aided awareness on a list. SmartInterview probes half-remembered answers, such as a house whose name escapes the respondent, to find what stuck.

How to research Gen Z luxury consumers

Recruit younger affluent or aspirational buyers through a panel and ask how they discover houses, which ones feel current and which feel distant. Their own words reveal what makes a house relevant to them.

Watch market consumer research

Ask buyers how they chose their last watch, which brands they considered and what made them hesitate. Follow-up questions separate the role of design, movement, resale value and brand.

Measure the effect of a brand collaboration

Ask awareness, image and consideration before and after the collaboration, among clients and new targets. Open answers show whether the partnership added appeal or felt out of character.

Luxury retail experience research

Ask clients what made a visit memorable or disappointing, from the window to the packaging. Themes coded across boutiques let you compare locations without relying on staff reports.

Luxury market research in Switzerland

Switzerland combines local clients, international residents and visitors, each with different expectations. Survey each group in its language and compare them in one study.

Pricing

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Frequently asked questions

Research that studies luxury clients and aspirational buyers: how they know, consider and choose a brand, which values they associate with it, and how their experience compares with other brands.

A survey repeated at a fixed cadence that measures the brand funnel and the brand's image against competitors, so you see desirability move before it shows in sales.

The stages from unaided and aided awareness to familiarity, consideration, preference or purchase, then loyalty and recommendation. Tracking each stage shows where people drop out.

Ask respondents to associate each brand they know with attributes such as craftsmanship, heritage, exclusivity or modernity, then ask what makes the brand different. The result is a map against competitors.

Keep the survey short, send it with a personal message from the brand, let clients answer by voice if they prefer, and never ask for information you already have.

Yes. A qualified panel can target respondents by income, purchase of luxury goods and market, and SmartInterview can recruit them for you.

The first 50 respondents are free. For a panel study or a tracker we send a quote with the sample, the waves and the delivery dates.

Themes update as answers arrive, so you can read the first wave while fieldwork is still running.

Track desirability before it shows in sales

Follow your funnel and your image wave after wave, with the reasons behind every shift. The first 50 respondents are free.

No credit card50 free respondentsGDPR & CCPA compliant