FINE + RARE launches new global web platform

FINE + RARE has a new web platform, designed to grow with it as it serves customers using a range of devices around the world.

The fine wine trader has launched the site, developed by ecommerce solutions developer Sceneric on the hybris commerce platform, in its 20th anniversary year, and says it will enable omnichannel and international growth, scalable through the cloud.

“Around 30% of visitors to our website use a mobile or tablet device – a number that is set to grow in the future,” said Michael Barker, chief technology officer at FINE + RARE. “With hybris we’ve been able to deploy a fully responsive commerce site, delivering a consistent and highly engaging experience for customers, regardless of how they choose to interact with us.”

FINE+RARE stocks more than 50,000 products from more than 5,000 producers and is used by around 4,000 customers worldwide, from fine wine collectors and aficionados to investors. After the UK, its largest sales are in Hong Kong, while South East Asia is an important and growing market. But customers come from more than 200 countries, and a US website is on the cards for the future.

Customers spend, on average, more than £1,000 per order, so it was particularly important for the company to get search right: customers had to be presented with the right wines and relevant recommendations. Personsaisation and targeting are also key when addressing this group of customers. In the future, the ambition is for wines to be shown on a site that feels local to its customers, with content and language tailored to the needs of specific regions and markets.

Delivery, bonded warehouse options, payments, including currency options and local duty and tax calculators, all had to be integrated into the site along with market price graphs.

The site was also deployed onto the cloud, using hybris’ OnDemand infrastructure, a move that, in Barker’s words, “future-proofs our digital commerce strategy.” He added: “This website will not be staying still for very long. We are going to constantly upgrade and upgrade both the functionality of it, what users can do, as well as the content and information that’s available to users.”

The site was tested with a subsection of customers, who used it as it operated in parallel to the previous site.

Jim Herbert, founding director of Sceneric, said: “It’s been a privilege to work with FINE+RARE, developing a commerce platform that positions the company for future growth as it enters new markets and extends its reach to new customer categories.

“With a site optimised to cope with the growing number of mobile customers, FINE+RARE is able to embark on a new era of sophisticated digital marketing and merchandising that’s set to transform customers’ online experience. As the company enters new geographies, the ability enabled by Sceneric and hybris to create localised commerce sites featuring language and pricing customisations will enable FINE+RARE to speak with clarity to its highly discerning customers.”