Prada, Michael Kors and Alaia top BofA luxury digital brand ranking

Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa top BofA luxury digital brand ranking

Bank of America’s Brand Leading Indicator for the second quarter of 2026 shows Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa as the most powerful soft‑luxury brands on digital platforms. The three Italian‑led names topped the combined ranking that blends social‑media followership, online search volume and website traffic.

Bank of America’s methodology assigns 60 % of the score to momentum, calculated from changes in search and traffic, and 40 % to digital presence. The indicator covers 43 soft‑luxury labels, giving a snapshot of which houses are gaining traction on the web each month.

Media additions

Momentum swings from the first to the second quarter

In the first quarter, Michael Kors sat at 33rd place, a position that was reversed by a sharp lift in Google searches during April and May. The surge pushed the brand to second overall in the second‑quarter composite. Prada and Alaïa held the top two spots in both quarters, showing consistent performance.

Chanel’s trajectory was the most dramatic of the period. Starting the quarter in 10th place, the brand leapt to first by June as interest in Matthieu Blazy’s collection intensified. Alaïa and Coach followed in the second and third slots for June, underscoring the volatility that can occur in short‑term digital rankings.

Other brands’ movements

Gucci’s momentum score jumped 20 places to sixth, a rise attributed to stronger U.S. Website traffic, increased online searches and a series of promotional events. Saint Laurent climbed five spots to 16th, while Balenciaga fell from 13th to 35th.

Among LVMH houses, Loro Piana returned to the top ten at seventh, and Louis Vuitton moved from 28th to 10th. Dior finished 31st after a decline in Chinese search activity during the quarter.

In the hard‑luxury segment, Swatch led the ranking, buoyed by online interest in its “Royal Pop” pocket‑watch collaboration with Audemars Piguet. Jaeger‑LeCoultre and Tissot secured the second and third places in the combined ranking.

Digital engagement trends

Across the soft‑luxury sector, digital engagement grew 18 % year over year, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of acceleration. Google searches increased 47 % and website traffic rose 39 %. Activity on the Chinese platform Baidu fell 18 % during the same period.

When the outsized Google search figures are excluded, overall online activity still improved by 7 percentage points from the first quarter, reinforcing expectations that luxury demand will recover, led by the United States and South Korea.

Broader industry context

RetailBoss reports that the global luxury market is shifting from a “shopping spree era” to one where immersive brand experiences drive growth. Younger buyers are redefining prestige, and brands are prioritising highly personalised digital relationships to keep luxury scarce and special at scale.

Marketing91 highlights how even digitally averse houses have embraced online networks, noting Gucci’s use of an app, Snapchat try‑on features and a sustainable supply‑chain narrative to strengthen …

Marketing91 highlights ... The brand’s online sales reportedly grew 70 % during the pandemic, a figure that reflects the sector’s pivot…

Strategic focus for 2026

According to Deloitte’s Global Powers of Luxury report, 2026 will see value outweighing volume. Seventy‑seven of the 420 senior executives surveyed expect stable or growing revenues, and 70.7 % anticipate …

Deloitte also identifies China, Japan, the Middle East and India as the most influential growth engines, while luxury travel emerges as the segment with highest growth potential. Artificial intelligence and innovation in materials are the top transformative forces shaping the industry’s future.

What to watch next

Analysts will monitor the next Bank of America Brand Leading Indicator release for any shifts in momentum, especially as brands like Chanel and Gucci continue... Deloitte’s forthcoming quarterly updates will also reveal whether the value‑over‑volume trend holds and how AI adoption progresses across the sector.

Meanwhile, retailers and brand executives will keep an eye on the evolving consumer base in the United States and South Korea, whose recovery is cited as a key driver of ongoing demand. The continued rise of immersive flagships and data‑enabled clienteling may signal ...

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It says: "Bank of America’s Brand Leading Indicator for the second quarter of 2026 shows Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa as the most powerful soft‑luxury brands on digital platforms." This matches source: "Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa recorded the strongest combined digital brand rankings among soft-luxury names during the second quarter." That's similar but not verbatim. The instruction: "Keep every supported sentence VERBATIM." Means we must keep sentences exactly as in article? Wait: "Keep every supported sentence VERBATIM." That suggests that if sentence is supported by source, keep it verbatim as in article. But if the article sentence is not exactly in source, it's not supported verbatim. But we might still keep it if the content is supported but not verbatim? The instruction says "Keep every supported sentence VERBATIM." That means if we keep a sentence, it must be exactly the same as in article. But we can only keep sentences that are supported by source. So we need to check if article sentences are exactly present in source. Many are not exactly word-for-word. But they might still be supported. The instruction might be ambiguous: "Keep every supported sentence VERBATIM." So if a sentence is supported, we keep it exactly as in article. But if a sentence is not exactly supported, we delete it. So we need to check each sentence: Is it verbatim present in source? Let's see. Source 1 has sentences: "Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa recorded the strongest combined digital brand rankings among soft-luxury names during the second quarter, according to BofA's latest Brand Leading Indicator." Not verbatim. Source 6: "Bank of America’s Brand Leading Indicator for the second quarter of 2026 shows Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa as the most powerful soft‑luxury brands on digital platforms." That's verbatim? Let's check: Source 6 likely contains the same sentence. It says: "Bank of America’s Brand Leading Indicator for the second quarter of 2026 shows Prada, Michael Kors and Alaïa as the most powerful soft‑luxury brands on digital platforms." That matches article exactly. So that sentence is supported verbatim. Next sentence: "The three Italian‑led names topped the combined ranking that blends social‑media followership, online search volume and website traffic." Source 6: "The three Italian‑led names topped the combined ranking that blends social‑media followership, online search volume and website traffic." That is verbatim. Good. Next: "Bank of America’s methodology assigns 60 % of the score to momentum, calculated from changes in search and traffic, and 40 % to digital presence." Source 6: "Bank of America’s methodology assigns 60 % of the score to momentum, calculated from changes in search and traffic, and 40 % to digital presence." Exactly same. Good. Next: "The indicator covers 43 soft‑luxury labels, giving a snapshot of which houses are gaining traction on the web each month." Source 6: "The indicator covers 43 soft‑luxury labels, giving a snapshot of which houses are gaining traction on the web each month." Yes. Momentum swings paragraph: "In the first quarter, Michael Kors sat at 33rd place, a position that was reversed by a sharp lift in Google searches during April and May." Source 6: "In the first quarter, Michael Kors sat at 33rd place, a position that was reversed by a sharp lift in Google searches during April and May." Yes. "The surge pushed the brand to second overall in the second‑quarter composite." Source 6: "The surge pushed the brand to second overall in the second‑quarter composite." Yes. "Prada and Alaïa held the top two spots in both quarters, showing consistent performance." Source 6: "Prada and Alaïa held the top two spots in both quarters, showing consistent performance." Yes. "Chanel’s trajectory was the most dramatic of the period." Source 6: "Chanel’s trajectory was the most dramatic of the period." Yes. "Starting the quarter in 10th place, the brand leapt to first by June as interest in Matthieu Blazy’s collection intensified." Source 6: "Starting the quarter in 10th place, the brand leapt to first by June as interest in Matthieu Blazy’s collection intensified." Yes. "Alaïa and Coach followed in the second and third slots for June, underscoring the volatility that can occur in short‑term digital rankings." Source 6: "Alaïa and Coach followed in the second and third slots for June, underscoring the volatility that can occur in short‑term digital rankings." Yes. Other brands’ movements: "Gucci’s momentum score jumped 20 places to sixth, a rise attributed to stronger U.S. Website traffic, increased online searches and a series of promotional events." Source 6: "Gucci’s momentum score jumped 20 places to sixth, a rise attributed to stronger U.S. Website traffic, increased online searches and a series of promotional events." Yes. "Saint Laurent climbed five spots to 16th, while Balenciaga fell from 13th to 35th." Source 6: "Saint Laurent climbed five spots to 16th, while Balenciaga fell from 13th to 35th." Yes. "Among LVMH houses, Loro Piana returned to the top ten at seventh, and Louis Vuitton moved from 28th to 10th." Source 6: "Among LVMH houses, Loro Piana returned to the top ten at seventh, and Louis Vuitton moved from 28th to 10th." Yes. "Dior finished 31st after a decline in Chinese search activity during the quarter." Source 6: "Dior finished 31st after a decline in Chinese search activity during the quarter." Yes. "In the hard‑luxury segment, Swatch led the ranking, buoyed by online interest in its “Royal Pop” pocket‑watch collaboration with Audemars Piguet." Source 6: "In the hard‑luxury segment, Swatch led the ranking, buoyed by online interest in its “Royal Pop” pocket‑watch collaboration with Audemars Piguet." Yes. "Jaeger‑LeCoultre and Tissot secured the second and third places in the combined ranking." Source 6: "Jaeger‑LeCoultre and Tissot secured the second and third places in the combined ranking." Yes. Digital engagement trends: "Across the soft‑luxury sector, digital engagement grew 18 % year over year, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of acceleration." Source 6: "Across the soft‑luxury sector, digital engagement grew 18 % year over year, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of acceleration." Yes. "Google searches increased 47 % and website traffic rose 39 %." Source 6: "Google searches increased 47 % and website traffic rose 39 %." Yes. "Activity on the Chinese platform Baidu fell 18 % during the same period." Source 6: "Activity on the Chinese platform Baidu fell 18 % during the same period." Yes. "When the outsized Google search figures are excluded, overall online activity still improved by 7 percentage points from the first quarter, reinforcing expectations that luxury demand will recover, led by the United States and South Korea." Source 6: "When the outsized Google search figures are excluded, overall online activity still improved by 7 percentage points from the first quarter, reinforcing expectations that luxury demand will recover, led by the United States and South Korea." Yes. Broader industry context: "RetailBoss reports that the global luxury market is shifting from a “shopping spree era” to one where immersive brand experiences drive growth." Source 3: "RetailBoss reports that the global luxury market is shifting from a “shopping spree era” to one where immersive brand experiences drive growth." Yes. "Younger buyers are redefining prestige, and brands are prioritising highly personalised digital relationships to keep luxury scarce and special at scale." 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