Luxury's tech evolution continues, brands seek to invest smarter to transform faster--Bain & Company and Comité Colbert

• Technology has become a key function in luxury's transformation: 85% of CEOs consider it important to executing their strategy, and 8% deem it truly critical
• 37% of luxury houses report having already largely put in place the technological capabilities needed to deliver on their strategies, while 63% report having them partially
• For the first time, the report reveals that luxury houses dedicate an average of 3.1% of their revenues to technology. Looking ahead, 60% plan an increase of at least 5% in technology budgets over the next two to three years

PARIS, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology is now an indispensable strategic lever for Europe's leading luxury companies, key findings from the 4^th edition of the Luxury and Technology report from Bain & Company and Comité Colbert, conclude today.

Among luxury companies, 85% of CEOs now view technology as important in executing their strategy, with 8% even reporting it is critical, survey results from the annual Bain/ Comité Colbert study reveal. The harnessing of technological capabilities by the luxury sector is progressing, today's analysis reports: 37% of houses thus report they largely have the technological capabilities to execute their strategy; 63% say their capabilities are partially in place. Not a single house reported lacking technological capability.

Significant technology spending set to rise further

Bain & Company and Comité Colbert's analysis – measuring luxury's technology spending for the first time – shows that luxury houses devote on average 3.1% of their revenues to technology. For some, this can exceed several hundred million euros. This average masks substantial variance: spending ranges from 1.9% to 5.5% of revenue. The trend points clearly upwards, with 60% of houses and groups expecting to increase technology budgets by more than 5% in the next two to three years, with 28% even anticipating a rise of more than 10%. Key drivers include investment needs in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and systems modernization.

Three levers to enhance technology investment effectiveness

The analysis from Bain & Company and Comité Colbert highlights three priorities to maximize the impact of technology spending:

• Strategic alignment: Ensuring that technology investments are fully aligned with each house's business priorities.
• Rationalization and modernization: Modernizing infrastructure, simplifying technology architecture, eliminating redundancies, and making greater use of shared platforms to generate synergies.
• Building internal capabilities: Developing in-house expertise for more agility. Currently, 68% of innovation spending relies on external providers, a share higher than in other sectors. Deploying innovative tools such as AI coding assistants can also help to lift engineering productivity.

Strengthening collaboration between executive leadership and technology teams

As the sector matures, closer involvement of CEOs in technology-driven transformation is critical to elevating technology to a strategic function. In companies where CEO engagement in technology remains limited (50% of cases), most CIOs seek clearer roadmaps. To foster effective collaboration between business and technology, executive training on technology topics is essential to develop literacy – yet tech training for leadership is currently in place at only 52% of houses and groups.

Bénédicte Épinay, CEO of Comité Colbert, commented: "CIOs are no longer just executors: they now play a central role in luxury houses' transformations. Not only must CEOs and CIOs work hand in hand, but the entire organization must become increasingly attuned to the value and impact of technology. Attracting top technology talent to the luxury sector will depend on this cultural shift."

Joëlle de Montgolfier, executive vice president in the Retail & Luxury practice at Bain & Company, and co-author of the study, added: "In today's challenging economic environment, luxury houses face the imperative to optimize every resource. Technology budgets are already significant – but the key is not merely to cut costs or increase spending to match sector benchmarks. Rather, investments must be right-sized and precisely aligned to each company's strategic objectives, supporting both day-to-day operations and future innovations."

Media contacts

Bain & Company: 
Orsola Randi (Milan) [email protected]
Gary Duncan (London) — [email protected]

Comité Colbert:
Odile Idkowiak — [email protected] 

About Bain & Company

Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future.

Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today's urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment. We earned a gold rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 2% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.

About Comité Colbert

Founded in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain, Comité Colbert is a unique collective gathering 98 French luxury Maisons, 17 cultural institutions, and six European luxury Maisons. Through its members, Comité Colbert unites 14 different métiers: crystal, leather goods, design, publishing, faïence and porcelain, gastronomy, haute couture and fashion, jewelry and horology, music, silver smithery, luxury hotels, fragrance and cosmetics, heritage and museums, and wines and spirits. Comité Colbert's mission is conveyed in its raison d'être: to passionately promote, to sustainably develop, and to patiently transmit French savoir faire and creation to infuse a new sense of wonder. Our actions aim to collectively promote French art de vivre on the world stage, to preserve French savoir faire and creation, and to participate in their transmission to new generations.

SOURCE Bain & Company