Luxury brands Balmain and Chanel have new ecommerce websites serving the UK market.
The launch of the Chanel.com website for the British market marks the first time the brand has sold direct to customers in the UK. As yet, shoppers can buy sunglasses from the site, for home delivery or click and collect from its London shop.
Balmain.com serves more than 100 countries, including the UK, from its new website, developed as part of the brand’s five-year partnership with the online flagship stores division of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group (YNAP) and designed by the Mazarine Agency. It promises “a compelling brand and shopping experience to all members of the growing Balmain Army.”
The website, delivery and customer care operations are built on YNAP’s own technology and logistics platform, enabling customers to browse in seven different languages and pay eight currencies through a range of payment options. The focus, says YNAP, is firmly on the premium customer experience.
The site launches with the brand’s Balmain x Beyoncé collaboration.
Balmain chief executive Massimo Piombini says the site reflects his strategy of accelerating the fashion house’s digital capabilities in order to improve the customer experience. “Until today, Balmain.com was house-managed,” says Piombini. “That limited our choices in regard to technology and design.” He says the new site enables the brand “to connect with our customer in a much more exciting manner, delivering Olivier Rousteing’s designs to over 100 markets and seamlessly combining the digital and brand experience.”
Francesca Tranquilli, deputy president of online flagship stores at the Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, said: “Balmain came to us with the challenge of creating a new digital platform that would retain its iconic ethos and history, but elevate its online service to match. We’re delighted to be working with such a prestigious brand in an exciting time of growth.”
Image courtesy of Balmain
