"Click and Mortar" is wonderfully euphonic, a wordplay on the expression brick and mortar.
The latter phrase conveys an idea of solidity and permanence, while the term click introduces the notion of online marketing and sales.
The expression dates to the 1990s, and has been adopted by major retailers who are noted especially for competing on price.
In the luxury sector competition on price is not feasible, since luxury products partake in a complex value chain all based on the supreme quality of raw materials and artisan skills. In this sector every product is unique, different from any other.
It is correspondingly senseless to talk about comparative shopping. In this sector the client or prospective customer must be seduced by the product in a circumstance where price is a secondary factor. Internet is a useful way to communicate product knowledge to a broader public, revealing the multiple factors which are critical to maintaining absolute quality and originality.
Through the click and mortar operations provided by UFASHON, authentic luxury producers can illustrate their quality standards. This facilitates the emotional response elicited by any encounter with the incommensurate.
Gregory Overton Smith, D.Phil. (Oxford)
Temple University Rome
Click HERE to read the new UFASHON MAGAZINE SPECIAL EDITION, "CLICK and MORTAR"
