In the world of luxury clothing brands, there are two that stand out: Burberry and Hermès. Both brands enjoy a longstanding history within the fashion world, but they differ greatly in ecommerce offerings, according to econsultancy.
Burberry is a brand that gets it right. The brand offers a digital experience that perfectly aligns with its design; creating a sleek and modern feel to the website. The bold visuals are integrated with interactive elements that easily captures the attention of an online browser. Here’s what Burberry did right and how Hermès can improve:
1. Compelling visual design
Burberry succeeds at creating innovative product pages that sets it apart from competitors. Product images are shot on a consistent backdrop, with elements of the products in clear view. This function makes it possible to see small details without zooming in.
Burberry offers detailed product info without the clutter. Source: econsultancy
One unique feature that Burberry manages to utilize is the use of larger image tiles, which elevates the visual experience. supplementary product details are sectioned off so consumers can quickly find the information they are looking for.
Burberry also reduces the footprint of any product recommendation display and aligns it off center to not distract from the main product while still offering the option.
2. Consistent brand experience offline and online
Burberry manages to provide consumers with a platform that tells an engaging, interactive story about the brand. They infuse content and commerce to create an online experience similar to visiting a physical store.
The ‘acoustic’ section adds an element of personalization and offers an engaging visual story. Source: econsultancy
The website has an ‘acoustic’ section where up and coming musicians perform in natural environments while dressed in Burberry clothing, without any feelings of ‘hard sell’.
3. Easy-to-navigate website
Brands often feature an extensive product line-up, so categorizing each product can be challenging. This can make it difficult for consumers to navigate through the website without a good UX design.
Burberry succeeds at providing online shoppers with a simplified site. The search bar on the left hand side of the site is very easy to navigate and organizes products by category/collection.
Hermès, however, provides a slightly different online experience.
The homepage instantly calls for a divide between store and commerce experience. Source: econsultancy
Hermès makes a stark divide between online and offline, forcing shoppers to pick instead of allowing them to soak in the entire brand experience.
4. Creativity is balanced with functionality
Hermès is a brand that goes far in differentiating their sites from competition, but it ends up being confusing. The homepage looks more like an art gallery than a brand store, with its hand drawn images and lack of product description.
The product page lacks commerce functions. Source: econsultancy
5. Robust product pages
There is a lack of information in Hermès’ product pages. Product descriptions consist of a few words such as ” Printed Beach Towel”. Images are presented on sketches and not on models, which doesn’t translate well for commerce.
It could be said that this approach may resonate with the Hermès’ loyal customers, but will fail to engage the brand with new customers in an increasingly competitive digital commerce landscape. However, another way to look at this is to recognize that Hermès is an exclusive high-end luxury brand that promotes the ‘waiting list’ culture or in-store browsing experience. The brand expects its customers to understand its vision, which is why it fails to adopt traditional ‘boring’ product pages or craft an interactive story on the homepage.
A version of this appeared in econsultancy on July 6. Read the full version here.
