Less Is More: Luxury Isn’t About Choice, It’s About Curation

Well-heeled clients have a totally different buying experience from the rest of the market. The car business demonstrates this in a visceral way.  

Driving by my local dealership (they aren’t all like this one) the Land Rover/Range Rover and Jaguar shop has a tidy parking lot consisting of about 20 vehicles, most of them trade-ins and a few returned from a test drive.  

Inside the wide-open dealership floor there are just four models. Buying a car here is made by scheduled appointment, with no availability for walk-up traffic. There are no banners disclosing their current promotions, no bright paint on the windshield of used cars with “Low Miles” or prices highlighted.  

The few vehicles up front and inside aren’t for a lack of choice. You can drive off in a two-door “coup” Land Rover Defender now, or a handful of Range Rovers with every variety of option included. If you want a blinged-out Range Rover SUV with every feature, you can have it. Want one that’s stripped down to almost nothing? No problem.  

Some custom versions must be ordered but the truth lies behind the store. There are more than a hundred brand new models hidden behind the store out of customer’s sight.  

Why not put more in the front lot? They could easily double the amount in the showroom. There are two reasons they don’t do this.  

Too Many Choices 

Analysis paralysis is a serious issue in sales. If there are too many options available, the desire to get exactly the right one takes a choice that’s an otherwise great fit off the table. There’s a fear that can make it seem as though the selection you make today could be regrettable for any number of real or imaginary future reasons.  

“Maybe there will be a better deal on this in the next few months.” 

“I can’t afford everything I want right now so if I give it some more time, I’ll be able to make my ideal version a reality.” 

It’s important to get a client on a product in order to start working a deal. Without a product, there’s no deal. Fewer choices curated are far more effective than every choice under the sun.  

Consultation 

By providing a limited selection, it forces a conversation. This allows a career salesperson to add value through consultation. They can discuss options and perhaps dissuade a client from making a poor decision based on other factors that may be important to them.  

Applying Limited Merchandising To Luxury Travel Sales 

Luxury agency owners can make the impossible happen. We can open the doors of the Louvre after hours for a private tour by an art scholar. We can charter a yacht, close a resort, and airlift customers to and from the most remote places on earth. We can even take you to space.  

But knowing that anything is possible can make it harder for consumers to make a choice. Can you really be an expert on everything? Probably not. Yet time after time, and week after week I meet competent peers in this space that pull designer handbags out of their Range Rovers who understand the importance and sophistication of buying from a supplier that limits what they offer to clients, who don’t follow suit in their own businesses.  

How do we ensure that what we offer is merchandised properly in our offices, on our websites, and in social media?  

The answer is simple. We sell a lifestyle, an experience, a way to move through the world. We reflect our customers in sensible ways. Land Rover and other merchants like them don’t focus on showing you the offers. They have them, even Mercedes commercials end with attractive and nearly unusable low-mileage leases to make their cars more attainable. But it’s the presentation, it’s a feeling.  

Successful luxury agencies have everything, but only offer a handful of select options. We respect our clients time, attention, and they trust our expertise. Curate carefully, consult fully, close easily.   

Kyle Stewart has been a travel writer for over a decade and appeared in the Wall Street Journal, TIME, Forbes, Travel & Leisure, among other publications. He runs Scott & Thomas, a luxury travel agency, and splits time between Pittsburgh and Fort Myers when he isn’t traveling with his family of four.