LVMH is Innovating With its Viva Tech Stand

POWER OF TWO: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a founding partner in Viva Technology, plans to streamline its awards and displays at the ninth edition of the fair scheduled for June 11 to 14 in Paris.

Franck Le Moal, the French luxury group’s chief information officer, and Gonzague de Pirey, chief omnichannel and data officer at LVMH, hosted a press breakfast Monday to preview its presence.

In lieu of separate displays for innovations and startups, LVMH plans to showcase collaborations between 11 of its luxury maisons – which include Guerlain, Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana – and 13 technology partners under the banner, “LVMH Dreamscape: Where Stories Connect.”

“Technology at the service of luxury,” said de Pirey.

The executive noted it leverages technology to optimize the client experience, burnish the desirability of its brands, and communicate its leadership in terms of ethical production and sustainable practices.

Le Moal used the term ‘quiet tech’ to illustrate the group’s main approach: “When you walk into an LVMH boutique, you will encounter more and more technology, but you won’t see it.”

LVMH chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault is to present one of the awards on June 12, for which jeweler Tiffany & Co. has created the trophy.

The ceremony has been narrowed to three big awards: the Best Business Prize, the Best Impact Prize, and Most Promising Startup.

GK Concept, one of two startups at the breakfast, displayed an automated dispenser for Dior Capture Totale serum, and a Givenchy perfume display that tracks how consumers interact with the four scents that can be sampled via chrome tubes.

Such technology can increase sales from 25 to 57 percent, according to GK’s Arthur Hagiage.

Meanwhile, sonic storytelling looms as the next frontier for luxury brands. Alexis Botaya, managing director of the sound experience division of IRCAM Amplify, a startup that grew out of the French institute dedicated to the research of music and sound, said it is using “psycho-acoustic” science to impact emotions and behavior.

The startup has already worked with Dior to create sound designs for its Christmas windows at 30 Avenue Montaigne, and with Guerlain on sounds to accompany perfume discoveries.