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@Tomalex
Maximising sales definitely isn’t the point, it’s a short term strategy that will often sabotage long term desirability.
Not always the case depending on the sector (see Nike) but if you want to retain an aura of luxury then you need to do everything possible to maintain exclusivity and avoid flooding the market (hence why Chanel/Hermes never go on sale and destroy excess stock at the end of a season - it’s not worth damaging the brand to make a few extra sales).
For Rapha, they are more interested in the dedicated fans who will keep spending money and building the community they have established (I.e. RCC members) than the people who just want to dip their toe. They know the RCC is a self selecting group of the most dedicated fans who they can ‘trust’ to best represent the brand. The RCC has sometimes been described as a cult, but that’s exactly what Rapha want since members are deeply invested and will keep buying products year after year while also maintaining a level of mystique and exclusivity. And if they can drive RCC membership through attractive limited edition drops, that’s exactly what they will do.
You can criticise Rapha for a few things, but I’m not sure lack of brand strategy is one of them.