Rebecca Minkoff Releases Line of ‘Smart’ Bags

Published November 10, 2017
By Lauren Olsen

A new line of Rebecca Minkoff handbags recently hit stores, and the bags aren’t just pretty — they’re smart too.

Joining the growing Internet of Things (IoT) movement in retail, the brand’s #alwayson bags have a code which, when scanned via smartphone, will let the bag owners receive product recommendations, exclusive offers, and video content from Rebecca Minkoff.

A spokesperson for Rebecca Minkoff said that, through the #alwayson bags, the brand will be able to create new and direct customer relationships, as well as insights. The technology will inform business and marketing decisions, the spokesperson continued, and encourage consumer engagement.

And one new report — led by a researcher at the University of Sheffield and a chartered psychologist from the British Psychological Society — confirmed these newly enabled “conversations” between brand and consumer will pay off.

The research was commissioned Avery Dennison, a company specializing in apparel and footwear branding, labeling, radio-frequency identification and digital solutions. (Rebecca Minkoff’s #alwayson innovation is built utilizing Avery Dennison’s Janela solution.)

A breakfast briefing, panel discussion, and demonstration was held recently in New York to ​introduce​ the research, which has ​led​ ​to​ a​ ​new​ ​strategic​ ​framework​ ​called​ ​Digital​ ​Emotional​ ​Intelligence (DEQ).

According to Dr. Phillip Powell of the University of Sheffield — who identified the framework — DEQ​ ​can​ ​be​ ​used​ ​by​ ​brands​ ​to​ ​apply​ ​real-time​ ​data​ ​from​ ​smart products​ ​to​ ​better interact​ ​with​ ​customers​, ​understand​ ​consumer emotions, associations, moods and more — and these factors, he noted, enable brands to form an emotional connection to the consumer and work toward boosting brand loyalty and sales.

Among panelists discussing DEQ and retail’s shift to ‘smart’ products was Uri Minkoff, cofounder and chief executive officer of the Rebecca Minkoff brand. Prior to the panel, he noted that recent developments in technology have paved the way for new opportunities for the customer. “The customer experience and journey has so much more opportunity now enabled by technology,” Minkoff said. “This is the beginning of a new way of thinking about things.”