John Lewis is aiming to bring in an extra £70 million in fashion sales by 2011 via its newly revamped and expanded fashion offering at www.johnlewis.com/fashion.
Fashion currently represents around 6% of johnlewis.com’s total sales, the retailer has revealed, and the new look site aims to drive sales increases by 30% this year.
More than 100 new brands have been added to the site in womenswear, menswear, accessories, childrenswear and beauty. Premium brands available online now include Lulu Guinness, Steve Madden, Belstaff, Lofli jeans, Hudson Jeans, Elie Tahari, Mulberry, Avoca, Ralph Lauren, Orla Kiely, Paul & Joe Sister, Nicole Farhi, Paul Costelloe, Tanya Sarne for John Lewis and Les Petites.
Johnlewis.com also boasts an enhanced search engine and the fashion pages include drop-down menus with product information displayed in a grid format. Other enhancements include:
- Revamped landing and editorial pages designed to “inspire customers and invite them to explore the hugely increased premium and John Lewis own label product assortment”.
- Seasonal trend guidance provided by Marie O’Riordan, editor-in-chief of John Lewis’s Edition magazine, outlining five key trends for the season and top items from John Lewis to buy into the trend.
- ‘Brand Boutiques’ that present online customers with virtual shop windows in which to browse, with the aim of carrying the department store experience through to the website.
- “Glossy magazine style pages” will feature regularly changing style guides designed to encourage customers to put outfits together as they browse.
- New fashion product pages will have larger images (+25%), on-page zoom, swatches to show alternative colours and a carousel of related products. Customers can narrow down their product search by brand, size, colour and price.
“Fashion online is one of the biggest business opportunities for John Lewis over the next three years and there will be a significant step change in our customers’ shopping experience online,” says Robin Terrell, managing director of John Lewis Direct. “We want to mirror and exceed the growth that we’ve achieved in fashions in our 27 John Lewis branches, and ensure all the great niche brands in our stores are available to a much broader audience.”
• Robin Terrell will be delivering a Keynote presentation at Internet Retailing 09 in London on October 13. You can find out more information and register to attend on the Internet Retailing 09 website.