Are you in the process of building, redesigning, or optimizing an eCommerce website for your luxury brand? Pulling inspiration from today’s most successful luxury shopping sites can help guide you and your team in the right direction.
When inspecting online customer experiences designed by brands like Gucci, Nordstrom, and Zappos, you’ll begin to notice similarities between them. And you can use these examples as a benchmark for your own company’s web development project.
Before we get into each example, let’s quickly go over some of the most important characteristics of a successful eCommerce site. In addition to the obvious qualities—like a smooth and engaging user experience (UX), secure checkout, and mobile optimization—all of the best luxury eCommerce websites maintain these key elements:
Personalized product recommendations, offers, and other content
Highlighted discounts and promotions
The ability to create a customer account
A transparent and easy-to-find shipping and returns policy
Visually-rich page designs
Fast and intuitive search and navigation features
A display of top-selling products on the homepage
Eye-catching call-to-action (CTA) buttons
Emphasized brand values
Social media buttons in the site’s header or footer
Easy access to customer service resources
Now, here’s a list of our favorite luxury eCommerce websites, along with the unique qualities that make each of them so successful:
Gucci
When users land on Gucci’s homepage, they are immediately prompted to sign up for the company’s email newsletter—where they will receive exclusive content, coupons, and early access to new products. This is an effective strategy for converting one-time customers into lifelong brand loyalists. And on every product page, shoppers are presented with detailed item descriptions, high-resolution images, shipping and returns information, as well as a “You may also like” section that displays similar products to inspire a bigger purchase.
Net-A-Porter
To capture the right look and feel for its website, Net-A-Porter uses high-quality fashion images and videos showcasing some of its newer, more daring clothing styles. This helps establish the brand as one that starts trends rather than follows them. With a live chat feature located in the bottom right corner, customers can connect with a member of the Net-A-Porter team instantly, allowing for a smoother and more engaged customer experience. The site also displays a 10% off coupon code for first-time customers.
Zappos
Zappos’ luxury eCommerce store is called The Style Room . Its homepage is visually stunning, and the top bar navigation makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for—with the option to filter by trends, brands, clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, or on-sale items. There’s also a “Style Spotlight” section on the homepage, which highlights the current best-selling products from particular brands on a rotating basis.
Moda Operandi
Moda Operandi guarantees its customers a full refund—with free shipping and return labels included—for items purchased within 28 days. A generous returns policy can make a huge difference in the customer experience, as many of today’s online shoppers adamantly check this information before making a purchase. On the homepage, there’s a carousel displaying clickable images that lead to various pages, such as seasonal product collections and top-selling items from recent fashion shows.
Saks OFF 5th
Like Gucci, Saks OFF 5th’s website immediately presents users with the opportunity to join its email newsletter, as well as receive $20 off their next purchase. The homepage also displays a weekly promotional offer—called “Designer Drop”—where customers can receive up to 60% off on products from a selected brand. Wherever the user lands on the homepage or various product pages, there’s an unavoidable CTA—with clear messaging like “Shop now” or “Add to bag”—encouraging them to move forward in the buyer journey.
Nordstrom
At the top of the Nordstrom eCommerce site’s homepage is a CTA button that says “Sign in or create an account,” with text above it promising a faster and easier online shopping experience. The top bar navigation includes the usual categories—women, men, kids, brands, and so on—as well as two highlighted options: Holiday gifts and items for sale. Given that this blog is being written in the beginning of October, it’s clear that Nordstrom is taking advantage of the fact that many consumers prefer to get their holiday shopping done as early as possible.
Grailed
Grailed is a hip luxury brand that specializes in menswear, from sneakers, to polos, to raincoats. The homepage promotes an exclusive giveaway opportunity, where visitors can win free products by simply creating an account and making one purchase—a unique strategy for attracting new customers. Grailed is also unique in the way it categorizes its products. Customers can shop various styles, including streetwear, avant garde, vintage, tech wear, and minimalist.
Farfetch
The Farfetch website keeps things clean and simple. The homepage—like every other page—has a straightforward layout, presenting customers with the option to browse either men or women’s products. The brand also highlights different designers on a weekly basis, and provides helpful content for holiday shoppers—such as “The Ultimate Feel-Good Gift Guide.”
StockX
Upon entering the StockX website, users are given the opportunity to donate to Global March—an organization that works to end child labor in supply chains. Many consumers today are embracing ethical shopping, meaning they only purchase goods from businesses that support important causes. In addition to emphasizing brand values, the homepage displays the site’s most popular products—a collection of sneakers, t-shirts, handbags, and watches.
Shopbop
Like most of the brands on this list, Shopbop greets first-time customers at the door with a coupon code. It also highlights the business’ free shipping and returns policy, presents a collection of top-selling products, and encourages visitors to create their own account. Plus, the product pages are transparent and simple, giving customers the ability to choose their preferred size, color, and so on.
Team up with Codal for an optimal luxury eCommerce experience
As more and more consumers turn from brick-and-mortar shops to online stores, competition in the luxury eCommerce space continues to grow. And one of the best ways to gain a competitive edge for your brand is by building, maintaining, and constantly optimizing a website that exceeds your customers’ expectations.
Here at Codal, our team—made up of award-winning designers and developers —is experienced in building successful eCommerce experiences for luxury brands . Whether you’re redesigning your company’s current site or building a new one from scratch, we’ll plan and execute a strategy that leverages cutting-edge tools, competitive research, user research, and other relevant data to establish a smooth and engaging customer journey. Acting as an extension of your development team, we can also provide ongoing maintenance and support to ensure the long-term success of your growing luxury eCommerce business.
