Avenue 32, a luxury online shopping destination, has launched a multichannel strategy to support its commitment to young fashion designers and fashion savvy customers, with a mobile and tablet strategy that allows up and coming designers to showcase their collections to the public without having to invest in their own online presence. Since its launch, mobile traffic has more than doubled and average transaction value has increased by 270% says the company.
Working in partnership with Usablenet, a mobile and multichannel technology provider, Avenue 32 has designed two different experiences for the smartphone and tablet – the mobile site provides a task-based experience, whereas the tablet site is focused around browsing and discovery – making it one of the pioneers of how tablet and smartphone retailing is likely to further split in 2014 as retailers get to grips with the different ways in which devices are used.
Roberta Benteler, CEO, Avenue 32, explains: “In fashion, where branding is “everything,” it is imperative to have a well-designed web presence experience that reflects the image of the brand at all touch points. We have created a successful and consistent shopping experience for both designers and customers across all devices in order to give us the chance to showcase our featured designers and engage with our customers at all times. Usablenet understands Avenue 32’s desire to deliver an engaging multichannel offering and we have already seen greater brand engagement.”
The sites have been optimised for touch and discovery, with next generation features that support the customer journey with quick navigation, speed of transaction, intuitive task completion and adaptive landing pages delivering a different user experience based on orientation and device.
With the designers’ portfolio a priority for the sites, the product detail pages provide Avenue 32 with an upsell opportunity via ‘Complete the Look’ and ‘You may also like’ features. The ‘wish list’ allows shoppers to create personalised experiences by instantly adding items that can be revisited later in the customer journey or shared with friends and family. The focus on the multichannel experience has increased the number of mobile orders by 400 per cent. While most of the brand’s m-commerce is happening on smartphones, orders on tablet constitute over 20 per cent.
Benteler adds: “My aim for Avenue 32 was to bring the element of discovery back to online shopping by scouting new and exciting talent from around the globe. Browsing is key on mobile as I wanted to be able to replicate my passion to all customers. Avenue 32 is competing against household names, but we can differentiate ourselves by adopting the right technology, choosing appropriate partners and delivering a personalised and engaging user experience.”
Carin van Vuuren, CMO, Usablenet, says: “We are entering the “age of impatience” where consumers will get frustrated if sites aren’t optimised and without such offerings, brands cannot remain truly competitive. Speed and engagement are essential and Avenue 32’s mobile and tablet sites provide fresh content and a rich user experience that will allow users to explore new designers with ease.”
