Luxury retailer Chanel has made a move into mobile with the launch of an iPhone application.

The application, called “Chanel – Haute Couture Show Fall/Winter 08/09,” lets consumers browse the upcoming seasons’ Chanel products and then click-to-call to make an order. Other popular features of http://www.chanel.com, such as locating a local store, images and videos, are also included in the application.

“Retailers using mobile marketing are able to extend their brand into the realm of the truly interactive,” said Shira Simmonds, president of Ping Mobile, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

“Every time the consumer looks at their cell phone, the retailer brand name is right there – looking back at them — and there is no more down time, no more out of sight, out of mind,” she said.

Ping Mobile did not design the widget for Chanel.

The application obviously leverages the unique features of the iPhone, such as GPS and the accelerometer.

Consumers can view photos and videos of the upcoming Chanel collection and get a news feed for all that’s happening at Chanel.

The application targets smart, sophisticated Chanel lovers, who skew female. This demographic tends to be tech-savvy and many are expected to have iPhones.

The mobile application puts exclusive Chanel content at these consumers’ fingertips. It’s full of pictures of the brand’s fall-winter couture and other useful features.

“Mobile is helping retailers connect with consumers through an interactive brand-building experience and by offering information at different points in the purchasing process,” said Lars Albright, vice president of business development with Quattro Wireless, Waltham, MA.

It seems as though going mobile is becoming quite fashionable in the world of fashion, with brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Armani Exchange and Dolce & Gabbana launching mobile initiatives.

Dolce & Gabbana has proven that mobile advertising is effective as well as fashionable by running a mobile campaign on the Nokia Media Network (see story).

Armani Exchange is doing a text-to-win promotion in an effort that also involves future SMS marketing (see story).

Polo Ralph Lauren has launched a mobile commerce service to let consumers buy products through their handsets (see story).

The Chanel application can be downloaded from the iTunes App store under the lifestyle category.
The application is free for all iPhone 3G users.

A call to Chanel was not returned by press deadline.

“Mobile has the power to keep brand names consistently and effectively in the minds of consumers across all demographics — that’s what makes it such a powerful media in today’s wireless world,” Ms. Simmonds said.