Moncler debuts new collections through virtual pop-up with Mytheresa

Dive Brief:

As the COVID-19 pandemic reshapes how brands engage with remote consumers, Mytheresa and Moncler have teamed up to introduce Moncler's new womenswear and menswear collections via a 360° virtual pop-up shopping experience, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
Viewers can shop the new collections as they navigate the virtual experience, which has Austria's Timmelsjoch Museum as its backdrop. The pop-up goes live Wednesday.
Consumers can select products in the pop-up to view more detailed descriptions about each item and purchase them directly from the online display. Among the products in the collection are the Moncler Cuvellier jacket and the Cotonniere coat.

Dive Insight:

Although the availability of vaccines has eased some of the anxiety of in-person events, companies are still relying on virtual events to connect with shoppers outside of the traditional shopping experience.

Virtual pop-ups or houses have been one way of forming that connection. Athletic brand Hoka One One launched a mobile shopping experience via Snapchat last year that used AR technology to let customers view and buy products directly through the social media app. In August, Sephora held its annual Sephoria event virtually through Sephoria: Virtual House of Beauty, introducing an interactive game-like experience where consumers could browse live and pre-recorded content. And last month, Etsy unveiled the Etsy House, an interactive AR experience that allowed consumers to tour an online home featuring items chosen from its digital marketplace.

Moncler is investing in its technological capabilities in other ways as well. In July 2020, the company announced plans to manage its own e-commerce business, a process it aimed to finish sometime this year, and introduced an omnichannel e-commerce platform.

Mytheresa has had an eventful 12 months of its own. The company quietly filed for an IPO in November 2020, and raised $407 million when its stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in January. Its stock market success followed a long legal dispute over the digital luxury retailer, which was once owned by Neiman Marcus.