DIGITAL AND IN‑PERSON TRAINING IN LUXURY LEARNING
Luxury brands face a recurring question: should they prioritize rich, in‑person workshops or scalable digital learning?
In practice, the most future‑ready organizations are moving toward a blended model, one where each format plays to its strengths.
Sophie Robinson from L'Artisan Parfumeur offers a personal perspective on learning style:
“I find it much easier to remember what I’ve learned in face‑to‑face training than in digital training.”
On the Emraude side, the lens is more structural:
- Digital is where you unlock creativity without physical limits.
- Digital is where you handle scale: 10, 20, 50 countries; multiple languages.
In-person is where you refine behaviour and embodiment.
What In‑Person Training Does Best
Face‑to‑face formats remain unmatched when:
- Teams need to feel materials and products: textures, packaging, gestures.
- Subtle aspects of the selling ceremony must be practiced live (tone of voice, posture, timing).
- Leaders want to strengthen team cohesion and engagement in a specific market or region.
In some projects, Emraude designs premium board games and physical supports to bring sensory and tactile dimensions into workshops.
What Digital, Gamified Training Does Best
Digital learning brings another set of advantages:
- Scalability for dozens of markets and languages
- Consistency in key messages, visuals, and brand codes
- Agility to update content when collections evolve
From Emraude’s point of view, this is where gamified eLearning excels:
- It makes complex topics interactive and narrative‑driven.
- It allows for adaptive scenarios, dialogue simulations, and real‑time feedback.
- It supports remote updates of SCORM packages, content, and languages without heavy IT intervention.
Blended Models examples
Three blended models stand out from our client talk:
1. Digital First, Live Deep-Dive
- Start with a gamified journey accessible to all: L’Artisan Parfumeur ’s Parisian apartment, a CHANEL-coded game, or Rabanne’s time machine.
- Use in-person time to practice: role-plays, advanced objections, client scenarios.
- Reinforce with short digital refreshers around key moments (launches, peak season, animations).
This model works well for global brands with strong central content and limited live training days.
2. Live Kick-Off, Digital Sustain
- Launch with a physical event: a roadshow, regional seminar, or boutique workshop.
- Capture the essence of that moment and turn it into a structured digital experience with Emraude.
- Onboard new hires through the digital version so they don’t miss out on the content and emotion.
This fits houses with big internal events and a strong flagship culture.
3. Continuous Hybrid System
Very visible in Sephora’s approach:
- One core module to align everyone on a topic (like health & safety).
- Additional micro-learnings and 3D experiences for specific risks or situations.
- Regular challenges and nudges to keep attention high and behaviours current.
This model is less about campaigns and more about ongoing reinforcement.
Q&A: Choosing the Right Blend
When is digital alone enough?
Digital training can fully cover topics like:
- Brand history and key milestones
- Product catalogs and technical details
- Standard procedures and compliance
For behaviors that rely heavily on presence and nuance (like high‑touch selling ceremonies), adding in‑person or virtual live practice is recommended.
How do we bring markets that prefer face‑to‑face on board with digital?
The key is positioning. Digital is not there to replace trainers; it is there to:
- Free them from repeating foundational content
- Give them more time for coaching and personalization
- Provide a consistent base across all regions
What KPIs should we monitor in a blended approach?
Relevant indicators include:
- Digital metrics: completion, replay rate, quiz performance, scenario success
- In‑person metrics: trainer feedback, behavior change, role‑play performance
- Business metrics: sales uplift for hero products, attachment rates, NPS, client feedback
How do we manage content updates across multiple markets?
A robust blended strategy relies on digital as the single source of truth:
1. Update content once in the core gamified experience.
2. Propagate changes automatically via SCORM and LMS integration.
3. Share update notes and guidelines with trainers to refresh their in‑person sessions.