Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 6.4
Luxury websites and e-stores have a tendency to sameness in
concept and appearance. The level of copy-cat activities in website design is
so high that every new feature risks becoming adopted rampantly until the
next wave of change arrives. This makes distinction and uniqueness a near
impossibility in the looks of luxury e-stores. Two of the pacesetters in adopting
the horizontal navigation appearance, LuxuryCulture.com (which invented it)
and Gucci.com (which popularized it) have however strived to maintain their
originality although the concept has been widely copied. Another luxury website
that has succeeded in differentiating itself is the independent e-retailer 20Ltd,
whose website has been developed to reflect its unique concept of retailing
twenty pieces of twenty exceptional luxury products at any given time
and to enhance find-ability (see Figure 6.5). These all point to the objective
of increasing the probability that the shopper will view the entire collection
on the website and ensuring that they have as many options for selection as
possible. In the case of luxury services provided through the website, it is
also necessary to provide clients with multiple options for appealing pack-
ages presented in an interactive and enjoyable format. For example, a lux-
ury resort could provide vacationers with options for selecting the location
according to their reason for traveling or according to the occasion they are
celebrating. Other options could include the features in the hotel, seasonal
packages, local events and so on. The more the choices given, the longer the
