Luxury Transparency and Traceability Index

A world first public-private partnership, led by Academia, measuring transparency and traceability initiatives across luxury sectors with a focus on technologies providing enhanced product security. THE INDEX aims to become a benchmark “Meta-Portal” for consumers and brands alike. Delivering a focused approach to the luxury industries thanks to an academic-led methodology and technology agnostic expertise.

The Swiss Center for Luxury Research (SCLR), IMD and OriginAll, through an E4S initiaitive, invite brands to partner with the world’s first luxury transparency index. Through this public-private partnership, this project is creating the world’s first luxury transparency index to map out, measure and provide data on the efficacy of adopted transparency technologies and their impact on brand’s perception. The expected output is an index that will provide an efficient instrument for the larger public, first and foremost luxury consumers, to gauge the brands’ investments in traceability and transparency and prioritize informed purchase decisions.

The Luxury and Transparency Index invites brands to showcase their technologies and report the tangible impacts they have on their business and relations with customers. To date, the project received the input of over 30 brands and 12 technology partners.

When it comes to the methodology, most of the project’s data are scale-based and straightforward to analyse through traditional software packages like SPSS. Results will give a direct insight into the most prevalent ESG goals. Some data are text-based and will require qualitative content analysis with a code scheme developed by the researchers. The code scheme will be built on theory  and some external expert rating of technological transparency maturity based on a hierarchy of available technology solutions.

In addition, a directory of traceability solutions active in the luxury industry will complement the platform. This will provide an independent “go-to” pool of trusted security providers and serve as a reference for the luxury industry. 

Call to Action

The expected output is an index, a digital platform, that provides actionable data: www.ORIGINALLUXURY.org

The project offers benefits to multiple categories of stakeholders: 

• Empowering luxury brands with the appropriate information on available technologies that enable them to improve their transparency.
• Granting technology providers an independent platform to showcase their solutions aimed at providing heightened levels of transparency, authenticity and trusted data, and matching them to decision-making counterparts in the respective luxury companies.
• Providing consumers with an easy-to-understandprimer to visualize the transparency efforts being undertaken by brands, ultimately empowering them to make informed and more sustainable choices. 

Ultimately, THE INDEX will make the research output actionable by helping stakeholders solve key issues in their sector, such as digital transformation and regulatory transparency requirements, that help them take action towards more responsible business practices.

In May 2023, a directory of traceability solutions active in the luxury industry was published to complement the platform. This provides an independent “go-to” pool of trusted technology providers and serves as a reference for the luxury industry. The report will be updated every 6 months with new members and in-depth insights requested by our luxury members: TECHNOLOGY FOR TRANSPARENCY.

The ambition of the project is to evolve in a Center of Excellence for Transparency & Traceability Technology (CE3T) to address the requests and sectors’ challenges from the main industry stakeholders. This pioneering center will be dedicated to empowering the luxury industry by assessing, showcasing, and promoting the latest technologies and innovations that can redefine and elevate the customer experience in this sector.