Designing Indulgent Interaction: Luxury Fashion, M-Commerce, and Übermensch

Electronic Commerce (e-commerce) has transformed the retail environment and has become an ever increasingly important channel of the global economy. Within this, fashion retail has been a driving force, with increasing brand growth and profit deriving through Mobile Commerce (m-commerce). While the high-street fashion retailers have been key drivers and innovators in creating engaging and persuasive m-commerce app offerings, the high end and luxury fields have to date been slow to adopt and innovate at a comparable rate. This chapter explores the history and meaning of luxury and branding, in relation to the current state of m-commerce in fashion. Specific reference is given to the current state of m-commerce design in the retail domain between luxury and high-street market levels. Key questions and leading developments in the realm of interaction and User Experience (UX) design are presented along with directions on how to design for luxury m-commerce interactions.