23.02.12

For most people, an afternoon of shopping usually involves a quick jaunt to the mall or perhaps an extended browsing session at the computer. But on a recent Thursday, for Giovanni Hager, it turned into a 13-hour flight, a three-hour drive and a half-hour wait at the store's front door.

In this age of online shopping, what could possibly have motivated the financial analyst to launch a global odyssey that would take him from his hometown of Dallas to the outskirts of Florence? Try a warehouse's worth of Prada -- for up to 60 percent off. The highlight of the massive outlet in Montevarchi was the 50 euro rack, says Hager: "My wife cleaned that out."

While few are willing to cross seven time zones to get their designer fix, today's savviest shoppers know that tracking down the best high-end goodies is a global pursuit. The luxury market, once defined by only a handful of superluxe players, has expanded into a worldwide juggernaut, with new companies entering the fray and an explosion of products sourced from -- and sold in -- the farthest-flung corners of the world. For would-be buyers, the shift is providing a bounty of choice but is also inspiring a growing pickiness. And judging from the latest research -- like a recent Unity Marketing poll that found 70 percent of luxury buyers care about where a product is manufactured -- shoppers are now turning to that old real estate maxim: location, location, location.

Source: Smartmoney.com