Dupes: experience as the ideal tool to counter them

"Is it real or fake?” This question and the embarrassment it might have caused a few years ago have since given way to “ Your dupe's so cool!”. And it's no longer a minor concern, since today 71% of Gen Zers say they buy dupes (Business Insider). Many articles have already dealt with this phenomenon and the responses made by brands (mostly legal). However, the other, much more lasting response seems to have been sidelined: experience offered by brands. Because while a product can be duplicated, experience can't! 

So how can we create the emotion that will appeal to this young clientele? What are the ways in which brands can go beyond the simple product dimension, and build individual, personalized relationships? What can be done to make belonging to the brand community more meaningful than wearing the brand's products (or dupes)?

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1. The in-store experience: a journey

Gen Z isn't looking for fakery. They're looking for (good) sense and unforgettable moments. On the other hand, if you don't give it to them, they won't wait long before looking for alternatives!

Telling a story and bringing it to life, bringing sensoriality back into the experience, involving visitors in their discovery of the product, speaking out about know-how. From the moment they enter the boutique, everything must contribute to transporting them. The space becomes a theater, the sales assistants pass on the message, the gestures rituals. Light, sound, fragrance, every detail counts. People no longer simply come to buy, they come to immerse themselves, to understand and to feel. Maisons have understood this: you don't buy a piece, you live a scene, a suspended moment. The physical experience becomes the brand's living manifesto. It's in this attention to detail, in this ability to slow down time, that the real magic lies. An exceptional moment, an interlude in the everyday, and above all, a promise kept: here, everything is authentic. Jacquemus is the perfect embodiment of this idea, with its pop-up stores featuring a singular, poetic aesthetic, designed as a total immersion in the brand's universe. Places where the product is almost a pretext. People come to escape and be inspired. The boutique becomes a place of emotion, and the visit an experience in itself. And in a world where everything can be copied, it's this truth, embodied and sensitive, that remains inimitable.

2. The product is only the beginning of the story

A high level of service at every step of the way is the key to differentiation. When one buys a product from  a Maison, they're not just buying an object, they're experiencing a memorable moment, where rituals and brand attentions punctuate my visit. Every interaction counts, from the personalized welcome, to the little touches for the visitor, to the ritualized discovery of the product.

The latter, in particular, can become a suspended moment that blends sensoriality and emotion. The way a bag is opened, the way the lining is revealed, or the way the precision of topstitching is emphasized. These are not trivial details, but evidence of exceptional craftsmanship. Material, texture, finish - everything speaks to the senses. It's no longer just the product we're presenting, but a story we're telling. The object comes to life, humanized by the story that surrounds it and by the hands that shaped it. Beyond the object, it's the emotion that expresses itself. Maisons that know how to tell this truth create an intimate and lasting bond. Some even go so far as to reveal what goes on behind the scenes of this excellence: training courses, gestures passed on, portraits of those who create. It's no longer the object itself that seduces, but what it allows you to feel. We're no longer just discovering a product, we're entering the intimacy of a story, shaped by hands, time and know-how. And it is this emotion, sincere and profoundly human, that creates the difference. But this commitment doesn't stop once the product has been purchased. It is in the long term that the House demonstrates its commitment and its ability to deliver an incomparable level of service. Like Chanel, with its Chanel & moi program. Conceived as an extension of the shopping experience, this service offers clients tailor-made support after the purchase: maintenance advice, repairs, aesthetic refreshments. Everything is designed to bring the product to life over time, and strengthen the emotional bond with the brand. The purchase becomes a starting point, not an endpoint. Where the dupe stops at immediate appearance, a Maison invests in a long-term, caring, loyalty-building relationship. It is this relational continuity that creates true value.

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3. Wearing the product is no longer enough to belong to the club

In a world where outward symbols of wealth and style are easily imitated, true distinction now comes down to access. It's no longer what you wear that counts, but what it opens doors to. Montblanc, with its M58 club, transforms the acquisition of a watch into a sesame to the extraordinary. Each year, only 58 models are created to enable as many hand-picked customers to join this closed circle and experience, for example, a walk on the sea of ice, accompanied by high mountain guides. The product is no longer an end in itself, but rather a pass to exclusive experiences within the club. Also in the watchmaking sector, Panerai launched an exclusive collection of ten watches, giving future owners access to two days' immersive training with the GIGN. Pride is no longer simply in owning the product, but in being part of those who have experienced something exceptional and ultra-exclusive - a way of showing others what you have access to. It's a luxury that's infinitely more desirable because it's unique, experienced and, above all, impossible to duplicate. The feeling of belonging is built around shared emotions, real-life stories and rare moments. Maisons become passports to the exceptional and to experience, a social link, a marker of status, almost sacred.

Even before the rise of the dupes, luxury was already experiencing a form of saturation. The invasion of copies has only reinforced this phenomenon. When everything can be bought and copied, what's left to desire? The emotion, the experience, the unique moment. The experience takes on a new dimension: offering the extraordinary, through the emotion and privilege of living the precious moment. Loyalty is anchored in these rare moments, which create a form of emotional recognition. And this emotional attachment is transformed into a sincere commitment to the brand.

In a world where everything can be duplicated, emotion remains inimitable. This is where the power of experience lies: you can't own it, you have to live it and engrave it. Where the dupe stops at the surface, experience leaves a deep impression. More than a lever of engagement, it becomes a strategic asset. Houses must now think in terms of Return On Experience (R.O.X.™): every moment experienced must nourish the bond, rekindle desire and generate lasting value. Offer moments, not just products, to become an inimitable source of emotion, and therefore, unmissable.

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Article also available on Luxus+.