Mr Porter hatches plan to dominate ‘stylish’ wearable tech space as it becomes exclusive UK retailer of Google Glass
Online men’s fashion retailer Mr Porter is set to dominate the wearable technology space in the UK as it becomes the exclusive third-party retailer of Google Glass, which launched on the site today.
Speaking to The Drum managing director Ian Tansley revealed that Mr Porter sees wearables as a “huge opportunity” and that it is looking to expand its offering by stocking items such as the Apple Watch and watches from LG and Samsung.
Currently the luxury retailer sells Fitbit but Tansley said it will add further wearable tech to its offering if it aligns with Mr Porter’s stance on style.
“We think Google Glass fits perfectly in our product range alongside the Fitbit wearables but also we’re expanding what we are doing with audio and technology and throughout that range we’re looking for stylish, interesting products.
“There’s a huge opportunity to expand into associated areas where there are amazing products…The variety of straps and bracelets that Apple is proposing really makes it [the watch] stylish and fashionable and we’d love to be a part of that alongside all the stuff that Google are doing with their partners.”
Tansley said he hopes Mr Porter can play a role in changing consumer perceptions of wearable technology, which has so far placed an emphasis on function rather than fashion, and aims to do that by demonstrating to consumers how it can fit into their lifestyle.
Mr Porter is also placing an increasing focus on mobile – currently over 40 per cent of its revenue comes from mobile and tablet devices – and is exploring opportunities to increase personalisation for users of both the mobile and desktop site.
“We’ve got some great ideas about how our customers want to see things,” remarked Tansley. “We want to put together a straight forward approach about presenting the right products to the right customers.
“So when they come on the site and look at shoes or whatever, they see the brands and price points that are of interest to them first and we think that will be an attractive proposition.”
Tansley also revealed that Mr Porter is planning to ramp up its content offering– a mobile version of its content platform The Journal launched on 4 September – and ideas are in motion to expand the reach of its offline publication Mr Porter Post, which is currently distributed six times per year to 30,000 people.
Mr Porter is offering an edited selection of three Titanium optical frames in exclusive packages. Each package from the Titanium collection includes Glass, a pair of titanium optical frames and a UV lens clip for £1,120.
Meanwhile, sister site Net-A-Porter will be selling a limited number of the Diane Von Furstenberg Made for Glass collection, offered as five different packages, each including optical and sunglass frame styles in an array of colours priced at £1250.