ClickZ Watches | Just Back from Shoptalk ✈️

Plus... Breitling’s $3,300 Bet on the Mid-Market Watch Buyer

Author

Sophie Bruxner-Randall
April 02, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

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Welcome to ClickZ Watches, your essential newsletter for watch eCommerce professionals.

Editor’s Pick 🌟

📣 Shoptalk in Five Headlines

From marketplace breakthroughs to AI-driven growth, this year’s Shoptalk brought bold predictions and big product reveals. Here are five key headlines shaping the future of retail and eCommerce:

🧠 AI Moves From Buzzword to Bottom Line
Whether driving smarter search or streamlining supply chains, AI was everywhere—and brands are getting serious about turning innovation into efficiency.

📈 Fospha Launches Halo to Measure DTC’s Impact on Amazon
At Shoptalk, Fospha announced the release of its Halo measurement product, bridging the gap between DTC and marketplace attribution. For the first time, marketers can accurately measure the halo effect of their DTC ads on Amazon sales—unlocking new ways to optimize full-funnel performance.

🛍️ Ulta’s Digital Transformation Is Just Getting Started
Ulta Beauty revealed plans to launch a new marketplace and double down on personalization, backed by Adobe and powered by first-party data from its 44M+ loyalty members.

💎 Pandora Reinvents Modern Luxury
From lab-grown diamonds to in-store storytelling, Pandora is redefining what “premium” means—shifting focus from status to personal meaning.

🌐 Marketplace Momentum Is Rewriting the Growth Playbook
From Walmart to Wayfair to startups, everyone’s betting big on marketplaces to drive assortment expansion, experimentation, and new revenue streams.

💍 Pandora’s Next Chapter: How Personalization, Craft, and Community Are Redefining Luxury

ClickZ caught up with the industry’s biggest names at Shoptalk 2025—and one of the most talked-about sessions came from Pandora’s CMO, Berta de Pablos-Barbier, who shared how the brand is evolving beyond charm bracelets into a new kind of luxury.

From lab-grown diamonds to AI-powered personalization, Pandora is leaning into a strategy that blends heritage craftsmanship with cultural relevance—anchored by deep community insight and in-store storytelling.

Pandora’s playbook reminds marketers that:

  • 💡 Personalization starts with emotion, not algorithms

  • 🌎 Creativity must scale—but stay local

  • 🧩 Data isn’t just for performance—it fuels storytelling

  • 🛍️ Retail isn’t dead—it’s where trust is earned

What stood out most was the brand’s ability to balance long-term vision with short-term performance—a challenge familiar to many retail marketers navigating today’s measurement gaps.

🗣️ As Fospha’s CEO, Sam Carter, put it:

“It’s been fascinating to watch a brand like Pandora walk the line between building lasting brand equity and delivering real sales impact. That alignment with full-funnel strategy is exactly what Fospha is designed to support.”

Whether you're building a heritage brand or launching the next growth campaign, Pandora’s approach offers a masterclass in creative discipline and measurable marketing.

Expert Opinion 📣

What Boycott Warnings Signal for Global Brand Strategy

As tensions rise between European trade bodies and the U.S., a German international trade lobby has issued a clear warning: calls to boycott American products could damage already delicate economic ties. For luxury brands operating across these regions, this isn’t just geopolitical theater—it’s a signal to recalibrate.

Luxury has always been tied to perception, and perception today is increasingly politicized. We’ve seen it before: American whiskey brands pulled from Canadian shelves amid tariff disputes, or U.S. fashion labels sidelined in European markets as political tensions flare. The takeaway isn’t panic—it’s preparation. These shifts reflect a broader truth: luxury consumers, especially in Europe, are now making value-based choices influenced by more than just product.

Recent data from ConsumerSignals shows that economic and geopolitical uncertainty drives more cautious spending behavior, especially in high-end categories. Consumers are trading down, choosing local, and scrutinizing brand origin and values. Luxury brands must read this not just as a risk, but as a brief.

The opportunity lies in doubling down on digital storytelling that feels culturally aware and locally relevant. Whether through influencer collaborations in key markets, or personalized digital experiences that reflect nuanced regional sentiment, brands can maintain relevance without wading into politics.

Navigating this moment isn’t about taking sides—it’s about demonstrating cultural intelligence. By monitoring trade discourse and public sentiment, luxury marketers can protect brand equity and customer trust across markets.

Boycotts may remain talk—for now. But the smartest luxury brands will treat them as a litmus test for how agile, sensitive, and globally fluent their strategies really are.

Sector Spotlight 🎥


WATCH INNOVATIONS

In the dynamic realm of watches, recent releases from brands like Breitling, Seiko, and Timex demonstrate the industry's resilience and continual innovation. With features ranging from vintage-inspired designs to modern technological advancements, these timepieces cater to diverse consumer tastes and highlight strategic trends crucial for marketing professionals. Marketing experts should observe how these new models tap into heritage and innovation to enhance consumer engagement and drive brand loyalty, offering rich insights for strategic marketing approaches.

LUXURY WATCH ACCESSORIES

Artem Straps, an Adelaide-based watch strap brand, has gained international recognition by creating luxury synthetic rubber straps that merge elegance with practicality, shaking up traditional watch accessories. Since its 2019 launch, the brand appeals to fashion-forward consumers seeking to transform ordinary timepieces into sophisticated statements, demonstrating strategic market adaptability.

LUXURY MARKET TRENDS

The global premium watch market is expected to grow from $12.30 billion in 2022 to $22.45 billion by 2030, driven by a 6.8% CAGR. This expansion is fueled by consumer interest in luxury and precision craftsmanship, rising disposable incomes in emerging markets, and technological advancements like smart luxury watches. Online channels are pivotal in this growth, broadening reach and convenience.

LUXURY WATCH TRENDS

Luxury watch collaborations, such as Louis Vuitton x Voutilainen and Richard Mille x Ferrari, exemplify industry partnerships leveraging artisanal craftsmanship, cutting-edge materials, and brand heritage to engage affluent consumers. These limited-edition timepieces and initiatives like "The Persistence Of Time" documentary foster opportunities for storytelling and consumer engagement.

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS

Apple's potential integration of camera technology in future Apple Watch models, expected in 2027, signals a shift towards enhanced AI capabilities like FaceTime and Face ID. This innovation could redefine the smartwatch landscape by offering marketing professionals insights into how wearable tech might support customer engagement and security through advanced AI. However, addressing privacy, battery life, and user comfort remains crucial for its adoption.

WATCHMAKING CAMPAIGN

Breitling, a key player in the horology industry, is tackling the challenges of the mid-market watch segment by launching a competitively priced collection with in-house mechanical movements, headlined by Austin Butler. By reviving the Gallet brand and setting prices from $3,300, Breitling challenges the industry's focus on high-end models, offering marketers insights into pricing strategies and brand positioning within a turbulent market landscape.

Influencer Corner 📣

The Real Difference Between Brand & Marketing:
| Oscar Hoole

1. Brand gives people a reason to care
2. Marketing gets you seen
3. Brand builds trust over time
4. Marketing drives immediate results
5. Brand sets the foundation
6. Marketing builds momentum

Canvas and agentic AI capabilities for marketers:
| Dennis Yao Yu

ChatGPT with Canvas

Imagine crafting product descriptions that don’t just describe an item, but tell a story tailored to specific audience segments with Canvas in ChatGPT.

Instead of relying on generic, one-size-fits-all messaging, marketers can use this tool to transform basic product details into compelling, conversion-driven narratives for more personalized content that engages customers and drives sales.

Canvas also shines when scaling content production. With ChatGPT’s capabilities, teams can generate diverse marketing assets—emails, social posts, promotional copy—faster and with greater consistency. Less time spent on repetitive tasks and more focus on strategy and creativity.

Agentic AI

Agentic AI takes things to the next level by acting as an autonomous decision-maker. This is more about executing strategies.
AI systems integrate advanced learning algorithms and data-driven insights to analyze situations, make informed decisions, and even take action without constant human intervention.

Optimization Hub ⚙️

MARKETING STRATEGIES

April marketing optimizes SMS and email strategies to enhance conversion rates with targeted campaigns around holidays like April Fools, Easter, and Earth Day. Personalized customer experiences and storytelling cultivate loyalty, as AI-driven insights suggest engagement opportunities. Marketers are urged to continuously test and refine messaging.

AI SHOPPING INNOVATIONS

Amazon's new AI-powered Interests feature allows select U.S. customers to receive personalized product updates tailored to their preferences, showcasing a shift towards proactive eCommerce interactions. Using large language models, it promises a more efficient shopping experience by continuously scanning for relevant products and deals. This initiative highlights an evolving landscape where AI tools streamline consumer engagement, offering marketers insights into enhancing customer personalization.

RETAIL MEDIA EXPANSION

Best Buy, Instacart, and DoorDash are enhancing their Retail Media Networks to attract advertisers seeking transparency and accountability. Best Buy utilizes first-party data for targeting on social platforms, Instacart offers in-store advertising through Caper Carts, and DoorDash introduces post-purchase ads and sponsored placements. These developments highlight the shifting priorities in retail media, emphasizing the growing importance of integrated advertising solutions across digital and physical channels for marketing professionals.

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