Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
collaborative filtering (i.e. complementary products and so on) should all be
incorporated in a seamless manner.
Furthermore, e-merchandizing and e-CRM tools for instant access to
style guidance, advice on product selections, care and use as well as alter-
native colors should all be made available. Also important in the incorpora-
tion of the e-boutique is the provision of after-sales support through a clear
and simple format for refunds, returns, exchanges and store credits. Several
luxury websites that have attained the glory of creating pretty websites are
still found very much wanting in the area of client support, which is impera-
tive for an elevated online experience. Surprisingly (or not), several luxury
brands are yet to “get it” when it comes to e-commerce and several aspects
of the e-retail of luxury goods are currently being led by independent retail-
ers such as My Wardrobe, Browns, Matches and Net-A-Porter (Figure 4.21).
An extensive analysis of e-commerce is provided in Chapter 6, which is
entirely dedicated to e-retail.
Customization
One of the most apparent factors to emerge in this age of the social web is
the importance that online consumers attach to personalization and customi-
zation of everything online from web pages and images to products and serv-
ices. The recognition and influence that social media such as blogs, social
networks, messaging platforms and user-to-user communities have given to
people means that they not only have a voice but now they also have clout
and guts, and therefore have become highly demanding of personal recogni-
tion and attention. This has naturally led to the expectation of extraordinary
personalized experiences with the brands that they have chosen both offline
and online. They are product and services savvy, have also become masters
of technology and call the shots regarding their online experiences. Meeting the
needs of this client base is no easy feat and this may explain why the major-
ity of luxury companies are still a far cry from applying the e-customization
tools in web design, product selection and merchandizing and services formats.
Not surprisingly, independent e-retailers have leapt at the opportunity of
customizing web pages, personalizing web contents and allowing clients to
customize their own e-experience. Websites like Amazon sowed the seeds for
this level of customization through recognizing returning clients and placing
pre-selected products on the homepage according to their page view or shop-
ping history. Although luxury brands and independent luxury e-retailers are
yet to integrate this level of interaction within their websites, it is about time
several questions linked to e-customization are asked. Is it worthwhile provid-
ing website visitors with the opportunity to customize the way they view the
web pages through the text font size, background colors, sound and page lay-
out? Is it necessary to use the previous web page views and shopping history
of returning clients to influence the content or the order of the pages they view
