Luxury retail is easy to understand in-store – dedicated personal shoppers, first-of-a-kind activations and top-notch service consistently separate the exceptional from the mainstream.

Online, it can be harder to make these experiences feel special, particularly without access to the touchpoints we traditionally associate with luxury boutiques. 

Despite these obstacles, luxury experiences do exist online. And while most retailers are eager to keep up with consumers’ evolving eCommerce expectations, knowing where to begin can be a challenge.

At FARFETCH Platform Solutions (FPS), we specialize in bringing luxury’s best-in-class in-person experiences to the digital realm. From discovery to delivery, we know the ins-and-outs of building elevated online experiences. 

Leveraging this expertise, we’ve compiled four key steps to elevating your online luxury retail experiences: 

1. Prioritize Content Production 

Imagery is everything in online shopping. Without the ability to touch, feel, or try on items, luxury consumers expect high-quality content production before purchasing high-value products online. 

Ensuring your content is up to par means prioritizing consistency in visual merchandising, and providing high-quality, detailed photography and videography to accurately portray a product's fabrication, color, and fit. A testament to consumers' attention to detail, 73% of US shoppers said they are more likely to purchase something after watching a video of it. 

Investing in next-generation technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) can take this content a step further. By providing remote “try-ons” and 3D product views, brands can build interactive consumer experiences on-website. In addition to providing them with more confidence when purchasing an item online, 61% of shoppers already refer to shop with retailers that offer AR experiences.

Elevated content goes a long way. When Mackintosh partnered with us to introduce Shoppable Videos, they recorded an impressive 51% engagement rate, far exceeding the luxury segment benchmark of 30-38%, and a 15% click-through rate – driving digital product discovery and conversion. 

2. Localize Experiences 

While high-quality content can have a big impact on your consumers’ online experiences, it's ineffective if inaccessible. Today, luxury shoppers are everywhere, and increasingly, they expect their favorite brands to be too. 

Localization ensures your products and experiences are available to global consumers – think of it as a fundamental part of your brand’s personalization strategy. 

A crucial aspect of localizing your digital presence is expertly translating your websites and content across global languages. And unsurprisingly, when shoppers can easily read, understand, and interpret your product descriptions in their native language, they’re more likely to purchase.

With the right technology solutions, you can deliver translated websites and content, enable transactions in dozens of currencies, and unlock relevant local payment options like Klarna and WeChat. These online services ensure your shoppers can comfortably purchase their favorite items at any time, and from anywhere in the world. 

Beyond connecting your brand to existing international customers, localization tools can provide important insight into how to reach new audiences and markets. This is especially significant as emerging markets become vital to the luxury industry’s development. Countries like India are positioned for significant growth, as experts anticipate its luxury market will expand to 3.5 times today’s size by 2030.

Consultancy agencies like CuriosityChina grant luxury retailers unique access to solutions designed specifically for regional shoppers. With industry-leading expertise on the fast-evolving and competitive Chinese luxury market, CuriosityChina enables brands to effectively access and convert new consumers. 

3. Elevate Logistics  

Delivering these luxury online experiences doesn’t end at checkout. Even after shoppers access and purchase products online, they expect seamless delivery. 

First and foremost, elevating your logistics offering begins with providing shoppers with options. From standard to same-day, delivery isn’t one-size-fits-all. Whether they need the item tomorrow or next week - luxury shoppers reward brands that offer them choices, especially rapid-delivery. In fact, when a retailers’ delivery times are too long, nearly half of consumers will shop somewhere else. 

Improved logistics can also simplify returns, and increasingly, luxury shoppers expect their returns processes to be as seamless as delivery. With access to the right logistics solutions, you can mitigate the hassle of sending an item back, establish consumer trust, improve brand loyalty and increase the likelihood of re-ordering, all while reducing shipping costs. 

Flexible high-end operations and high-value merchandise logistics help luxury brands simplify these processes. At FPS, our connection with the broader FARFETCH Group means our Logistics suite grants access to the same negotiated shipping rates on the FARFETCH Marketplace. Similarly, our relationships with tried and trusted warehousing solutions across Europe, the US, APAC, and China, enable luxury retailers to deliver products to consumers at industry-leading pace. 

4. Connect Touchpoints 

In addition to prioritizing your online experiences - it’s important to remember how they will connect to your brand storytelling in-store. While luxury consumers are becoming more comfortable with shopping online, they still value their in-store experiences, their relationships with sales associates, and the ability to engage with their favorite brands’ universes in-person. 

Consumer applications are particularly effective tools to drive brand continuity across touchpoints, and they are quickly becoming all-access passes to luxury brand experiences, content, and communication. These apps intuitively integrate with and expand on retailers’ websites to connect shoppers to brand storytelling in-store, online and everywhere in between. 

The luxury, multi-brand retailer Browns has been particularly successful in implementing its Consumer App. Bain & Company x Comité Colbert’s recent Luxury and Technology report found that consumers use the Browns app as a gateway to brand experiences pre, during, and after store visits. In action, this means shoppers can use the app's visual search feature while browsing a magazine or social media to find similar items in the Browns catalog. Afterward, the shopper can add the product to their wishlist, purchase in-app, book an appointment in-boutique to try the product on, or get advice from their dedicated stylist on how to wear it.

As luxury shoppers grow accustomed to innovative tech-driven experiences across touchpoints, there has never been a better time to invest in elevating your digital presence. To learn more about how FPS solutions can power your digital luxury retail experiences, contact us here.