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Smart Solutions for the Luxury Market in a Changing Economy

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Authored by: Bridgette Parent
July 21, 2008 

With flagging consumer confidence finally reaching the affluent market in today�s shifting economy, one luxury travel website, www.LuxuryLink.com, stands out as a smart solution for both the consumer and seller alike.

After another recent drop in luxury spending according to the �Unity Marketing Luxury Consumption Index,� Pamela Danziger, President of Unity Marketing, stated, �This is the time for retailers to make sure their offerings are compelling enough to entice shoppers right away�whether through a promotion, gift-with-purchase, or other buy-it-now incentives.� 

What greater �buy-it-now incentive� than with an auction?  LuxuryLink.com, a California based luxury travel website, knows what it takes to keep the luxury consumer engaged and coming back for more. Combining a dynamic auction format with the most spectacular hotels, tour companies and cruise lines around the world, Luxury Link has brilliantly managed to make buying a luxury vacation not only exciting, but also smart.  Because let�s face it, those in the affluent sector are as value conscious as the next guy, which stands to reason with Luxury Link having created one of the largest and most fiercely loyal databases of high-end travelers in existence. 

Switching gears to the luxury retailers, the natural instinct to pull in the purse strings during softer economic periods can become quite a �Catch 22�.  Although the need to drive business is stronger, tighter marketing budgets make it difficult, leaving luxury travel companies scrambling for creative solutions. Again, this is where Luxury Link has positioned itself in a clever way � through its auction format which allows members to pay through a barter program, never having to write a check. 

A perfect example of Luxury Link�s barter program at work is Great River Journey in Yukon, Canada.  �Getting direct to the right consumer is the trick, especially for a start-up company,� explains Great River Journey President, George Asquith.  And that�s exactly what he did when he joined Luxury Link in June 2008. After receiving several convincing testimonials from other Luxury Link clients, Asquith decided to sign his company to an annual marketing agreement in hopes of building exposure and more importantly, gaining bookings for his new business. 

Great River Journey provided a wonderful package that Luxury Link previewed on their site one week prior to their first live auction. To Asquith�s pleasant surprise, within less than 24 hours of exposure, he received a phone call resulting in a full rate booking for 2009.  Giving credence to Luxury Link�s loyal database, the guest (a long-time Luxury Link user and retired editor of one of the U.S.A.�s most prominent print publications) said they wished they could go in 2008, but alas, were already booked with other Luxury Link trips for the remainder of the year. Needless to say, Asquith was impressed to see his immediate return on investment, and very optimistic about the coming year. 

With the economic atmosphere ever changing and financial decisions getting harder, it is refreshing to see innovative solutions like these that just make good common sense. 

For more information about Luxury Link�s services, please contact [email protected]

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Also See: Luxury Link Brings Qantas and Orient-Express Hotels Together for Unprecedented Luxury Sweepstakes / June 2008
Luxury Link Generates High Volume Phone Leads for Hotel Partners / April 2008
Luxury Link Makes It Easier Than Ever for Hotel Partners to Connect to Affluent Consumers; Premier online luxury travel resource announces launch of cutting-edge call solutions from eStara / November 2007
Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Selects Luxury Link as Key Online Partner for �INDIA in LUXURY� Program / October 2007
Luxury Link: Creating Unique Value for Luxury Hotel Partners / September 2007
New Research Uncovers Hidden Gem in Luxury Travel;Luxury Link�s Audience Raises the Bar for Luxury Travel Websites / June 2007
Luxury Link Celebrates 10 Years� First 10 Hotels Save $10K; Luxury Link offers anniversary promotion / April 2007
Luxury Link Sets Sail with Silversea Cruises; Partnership Anchors Website's New Section dedicated to Cruises and Private Yachts / March 2007
Luxury Link Announces First Luxury Travel �Community�; Feature Allows Sophisticated Travelers to Share Thoughts, Insight into the World of High-End Travel / February 2006
Luxury Link Announces First Annual World�s Best Hotel Award Winners / Februray 2006
Luxury Link Launches New Site / September 2005

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