For the most part, luxury brands are fantastic at crafting high-end retail journeys in a brick-and-mortar setting. Sales associates are adept at building relationships, and in-store merchandising teams do an excellent job showcasing products in their physical shelves.
However, successfully translating that high-end experience to the online world is no easy feat. It requires a deep understanding of shopper expectations, exceptional attention to detail, and leveraging customer-centric technologies.
In this guide, we’ll dive into key strategies and action steps luxury ecommerce brands can take to create top-notch customer experiences.
Let’s get started.
Luxury brands’ ecommerce strategies: 7 pointers for success
| Luxury brand ecommerce strategy | How to implement it |
|---|---|
| Infuse storytelling in the luxury ecommerce customer journey | Create a strong narrative to convey your brand’s heritage, values, and craftsmanship |
| Personalize the luxury ecommerce experience | Enable customers to personalize their purchases |
| Convey scarcity and exclusivity | Offer limited-edition collections |
| Offer superior customer support | Provide fast customer services across multiple channels; be there for shoppers at every stage of the ecommerce journey—from pre-checkout to post-purchase |
| Stay on top of international shipping considerations in luxury ecommerce | Factor in customs regulations, import duties, and taxes, as these can significantly impact the shipping experience and overall cost |
| Recognize that tracking and transparency matter for luxury buyers | Provide real-time tracking updates, ensuring customers are fully informed about the safety and timely arrival of their high-value purchases |
| Don't forget that the return and exchange experience matters | Offer complimentary online and in-store returns; consider implementing a concierge service for scheduled pickups from the customer's home |
Infuse storytelling in the luxury ecommerce customer journey
Luxury brands pride themselves on their heritage, values, and craftsmanship. In many cases, these elements are conveyed through powerful storytelling.
As such, if you’re selling high-end goods, it helps to create a narrative around your brand. Doing so enables you to connect with customers on an emotional level, providing a rich, immersive online shopping experience that goes beyond mere transactions.
We can see this technique in action in how Dior showcases the iconic Lady Dior bag. The fashion house has an entire page dedicated to telling Lady Dior’s story, which highlights the product’s history and cultural impact.
In addition to having high-res and detailed photos of the product, the page also contains an image gallery and video showing how the bag is made.
Personalize the luxury ecommerce experience
Empower your customers to curate their own luxury by offering personalization options for your products. By integrating customizable features such as color choices, monogramming, or bespoke designs, luxury brands can provide a truly individual and immersive ecommerce experience that enhances customer engagement and adds value to their purchase.
Consider the French trunk and leather goods maker Goyard, which lets shoppers customize their bags. Shoppers can choose from various colors and monogramming options (fonts, styles, spacing, etc.), creating a unique and bespoke accessory that aligns with their individual style and preference.
Convey scarcity and exclusivity
Leverage the principles of scarcity and exclusivity to elevate your ecommerce experience. By emphasizing limited edition collections or exclusive member access, you can create a sense of urgency and allure, enhancing your products’ perceived value and desirability.
Louis Vuitton is an excellent example of a luxury brand that releases limited edition collections. The fashion house has collaborated with artists or designers like Takashi Murakami to create special collections. Due to their unique designs and limited availability, these collections are highly sought after by consumers worldwide.
Offer superior customer support
Offer superior customer support that mirrors the attentive service offered in high-end boutiques. You can achieve this by providing multiple channels for communication, personalized solutions, and post-purchase customer service.
Post-purchase support, in particular, is vital to the luxury ecommerce experience. It extends the brand relationship beyond the point of sale, creating higher customer satisfaction and opportunities.
The luxury brand fully recognizes the value of post-purchase communications and customer service. As Olga Burfan, Head of Global Ecommerce at Philipp Plein, puts it, “Service in luxury fashion is expected. It’s not nice to have or good to have – it’s a must.”
That’s why the company uses parcelLab to streamline customer service. Before using our platform, Philipp Plein’s customer support team had to manually review each customer inquiry, which took time and resources that could’ve been spent serving and interfacing with shoppers.
So, parceLab built a customized post-purchase experience that integrated Philipp Plein’s internal systems.
We created personalized content using the brand’s voice and designed customer communications consistent with the company’s premium look and feel. Our solution also paved the way for multi-channel customer support so Philipp Plein can reach shoppers no matter where they are.
Since implementing parcelLab, Philipp Plein saw a 15-20% decrease in customer service tickets. Support quality has also improved, as team members can focus on providing tailored customer service to shoppers.
“Our customer service teams assist in every step of our customer’s shopping experience, and parcelLab is a big game changer,” explains Burfan.
“Instead of following up on already completed orders, our teams’ resources are freed up to build loyal client relationships and give the personal touch expected from our luxury brand.”
Stay on top of international shipping considerations in luxury ecommerce
Keeping abreast of international shipping considerations is crucial in luxury ecommerce, given that most brands have a global customer base.
Shipping and supply chain management is a complex topic; plus, things get even more dicey when you throw in international destinations. As such, there’s no one-size-fits-all pointer that all brands can implement.
That being said, when crafting your international shipping strategy, be sure to factor in customs regulations, import duties, and taxes, as these can significantly impact the shipping experience and overall cost.
It’s also crucial to offer a seamless and transparent delivery process to customers worldwide. Communicate your policies clearly and proactively. Keep shoppers informed about their order status, potential delays, and any additional costs that might be incurred.
. As a luxury fashion marketplace that serves customers in over 190 countries, FARFETCH’s supply chain operations are quite complex. To ensure an easy and smooth customer experience, the company uses parcelLab to power its post-purchase workflows.
Our team at parcelLab collaborated with FARTECH to create a communication workflow paved the way for optimal . Each touchpoint is fully customizable, personalized, and sent from FARFETCH’s ecosystem.
Thanks to parcelLab, FARFETCH can consolidate multiple orders and tracking links into the same communication and tracking page. This transformed complex operations data into a simple, engaging, and consistent customer experience.
“One of the challenges of FARFETCH’s pioneering business model, combined with an intricate fulfillment chain, is being able to communicate this complexity to our customers,” explains Stuart Hill, SVP of Logistics at FARFETCH.
Therefore it’s important to have the FARFETCH brand in front of our customers, which parcelLab enables us to do.”
Recognize that tracking and transparency matter for luxury buyers
For luxury consumers, tracking and transparency are key components of the ecommerce experience. That’s why you need to provide real-time , ensuring customers are fully informed about the safety and timely arrival of their high-value purchases.
The high-end electronics brand Bose does this incredibly well. With the help of parcelLab, Bose implements a page that clearly communicates all tracking and order information to customers.
In doing so, Bose not only enhances the transparency of the shipping process but also reinforces its brand identity and customer trust throughout the delivery journey. The branded tracking page becomes an extension of its customer service, ensuring buyers have access to timely and accurate information regarding their luxury purchases.
Don’t forget that the return and exchange experience matters
The return and exchange experience is an integral part of luxury ecommerce, as it can significantly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty.
To that end, ensure this process is as smooth and hassle-free as possible by providing clear instructions, prepaid return labels, and quick resolutions to show customers they are valued even when things don’t go as planned.
Consider the returns policy of Louis Vuitton. The luxury brand provides complimentary online and in-store returns, making the process as convenient as possible.
Louis Vuitton includes prepaid labels for easy package returns and even offers a personalized concierge service for scheduled pickups from the customer’s home.
See if you can weave in similar practices into your strategy.
Final words on leveling up your luxury brand’s ecommerce experience
Navigating the world of luxury ecommerce can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can craft high-end, personalized experiences that exceed customer expectations.
From leveraging the power of storytelling to mastering the art of customer support and post-purchase experiences, you’ll be able to keep shoppers engaged at every turn.
Always remember: luxury ecommerce isn’t just about selling merchandise; it’s about providing an experience worthy of the investment.
And if you need help implementing a luxury ecommerce experience at the post-purchase stage, consider partnering with parcelLab.
Our platform helps you seamlessly manage the post-purchase experience through powerful branded tools. From real-time order tracking to automating return procedures, our solutions are designed to offer your clients a luxury experience that extends beyond the initial purchase. Take a demo and see how parcelLab can take your luxury shopping experience to new heights.
Written by
