Case Study

How to Create the Perfect

E-Commerce Site
By Brian Baskin The best websites balance the jobs of inspiring customers via lush graphics
September 2024
and compelling storytelling, and maximising sales with a design that’s
convenient, intuitive and easy to navigate. This case study explores how to
achieve both goals and create the ideal online shopping experience.

[Link]
Executive Summary
A brand’s website needs to perform one of retail’s of e-commerce sites fall short in at least one of five
most delicate balancing acts. Ideally, it should key areas, such as search and navigating product
tell a brand’s story and simultaneously maximise pages. Those remaining 6 percent can’t rest on
e-commerce revenue with a convenient and intuitive their laurels; today’s best practices when it comes
product-discovery and checkout process. to both aesthetics and the user experience start to
look “dusty” within three years, and require a total
In reality, brands rarely manage to accomplish both
overhaul within five, Smulders said.
of those missions. Often, fashion e-commerce sites
lean too heavily in one direction or the other: Lush This case study will break down the two site
graphics, videos and immersive storytelling might missions — storytelling and commerce — into
captivate and inspire one customer while alienating their components and explore how an organisation
another who wants to quickly find and purchase a can achieve success on each front, focusing on the
dress to wear to their sister’s wedding. Swing too far customer journey up until checkout (for more on
in the other direction and brands risk limiting their that crucial last element, please see BoF’s
digital homes to Amazon-style online experiences December 2022 case study, “How to Take the
with little in the way of personality. Friction Out of Commerce”).
“The website very much does need to tell the brand For insight, The Business of Fashion consulted
story and to bring people into the world of the leading web design and branding experts who
brand,” said Tammy Smulders, chief executive at have worked with companies in every corner of
Trends&Culture, a creative agency that has the industry, from fast fashion to luxury, apparel,
designed websites or apps for Bottega Veneta, Off- accessories and even beauty. This report will also
White, Ganni and other companies. “But at the same examine how one company, [Link], approaches
time, for most brands, the website is their single fundamental elements of its website, including
biggest store.” discovery and the all-important product page.
To further muddy the waters, where brands once
viewed their site as the centre of their online world,
today they are far more likely to make their deepest
connections with consumers on social media. Rather
than being where customers start to learn about a
label, the site is now the end of their journey through
a brand’s universe — a journey that ideally ends with
a sale.
Meanwhile, the commerce side of the website has
become more and more central. Shoppers frequently
arrive at brands’ and retailers’ sites through side
doors, like Google searches and social media, that
take them directly to product pages. Perhaps one
in five site visitors actually type a brand’s URL into
their browser, Smulders said (though she added that
for a buzzy, well-known label the share could be as
high as 50 percent). For many customers, the product
page may be their first or only impression of the
brand, and where a rising share of consumers decide
whether or not to make a purchase.
In the US, 39 percent of apparel sales took place online
in 2023, up from 27 percent in 2019 and 12 percent in
2013, according to Euromonitor.
Yet despite the critical importance of a brand’s
website, many companies are still failing to
provide shoppers with the best experience.
Baymard Institute, a research and consulting firm
specialising in web design, found that 94 percent

Have you been sent this case study? Read more deep-dive analysis with a BoF Executive Membership at [Link]/
subscriptions/packages or contact [Link]@[Link].

[Link] 2
Challenge

Why So Many Websites Look Alike

While there’s little love for Amazon’s crowded menus and endless grids packed with identical-seeming items sold by anonymous manufacturers, it works. (Shutterstock)

Ask a few people in your life where they experience designing brands’ websites on-trend. Perhaps a luxury brand has
shop online, and inevitably at least one goes back to the early 2000s. just brought in a new designer and needs
will say some variation of “I just buy to revamp their website to fit the new
“Everything else in the digital world has
everything on Amazon; it’s easy to use.” aesthetic, just as they would physical
so massively changed … but somehow
While there’s little love for Amazon’s stores. Or the goal is to reintroduce a
e-commerce lagged behind,” he said.
crowded menus and endless grids packed tired brand to consumers, requiring
with identical-seeming items sold by The ubiquitous nesting categories, filters coordination across marketing channels.
anonymous manufacturers, it works: and grids may be optimised to convert Maybe the aim is to draw customers
Four out of every $10 spent online goes browsers into customers, but it also strips away from third-party retailers with the
through the everything store, according away much of what makes brands and promise of exclusive drops, collaborations
to eMarketer. their products special. A dress artfully and other activations that can’t be found
styled in a store display risks being anywhere else. The list goes on.
The format has remained remarkably
reduced to a commodity when it’s placed
static, even as the launch of the iPhone Even if brands want to avoid the pitfalls of
in one of dozens of identical white boxes
triggered a rapid shift in online shopping Amazon-style design, however, they will
on a website.
from desktop computers to smartphones, struggle to entirely break free of the grid.
and Instagram became a key place to While this is less of an issue for household Customers expect to shop by narrowing
discover new products. Throughout it all, staples or electronics, most fashion their selection using category menus and
the basic customer journey, from the brands have goals for their website filters, or search, then to see products
homepage to a product page to the shopping beyond maximising quarterly sales neatly arrayed. A brand might invent a
cart to checkout, remained intact, said (though they typically want that, too). better way to shop, but customers are just
Michel Tjoeng, co-founder of e-commerce They want to convince shoppers their as likely to close a tab as to spend even a
personalisation start-up ChatLabs whose products are unique, well-made and few seconds adjusting to a new format.

[Link] 3
Challenge

The goal, then, is to design a site that, head of strategy at Born Group, a digital The problem is that it’s not always clear
like Amazon, is optimised for commerce, agency that has worked on the websites which of these teams should be in charge
but doesn’t feel that way to shoppers. of Fiorucci, Penhaligon’s and others. The of the site, or how to adjudicate when
company’s work on Cartier’s homepage there are conflicting goals.
“Where Amazon wins is price and
was nominated for a Webby award in 2023.
convenience,” said Ana Andjelic, who led “When you look at the website’s design,
rebranding efforts as chief brand officer at Once a company has those answers, however, you always see how the organisation
Esprit and Banana Republic. “Everything executing them can pose challenges. is structured,” Andjelic said. “Most of
else is your competitive advantage as a the time everyone gets along because
company.” Who Decides? they have to. Still, the question always
remains: Who is accountable? So many
Shein and Temu, for example, have Brands often struggle to diagnose why their
different constituencies make decisions
succeeded by importing to the West an website isn’t achieving its desired results,
that make an impact on the final
over-the-top, almost casino-like vibe multiple web design experts told BoF.
performance.”
popular in China. While off-putting to
“Sometimes you need to have a little
consumers used to a cleaner aesthetic, the Andjelic recommends the website be put
therapy session,” Montjean said.
shock-and-awe format is addictive and on- firmly in the hands of the e-commerce
brand for retailers known for staggering One reason websites often lack a clear team: marketing provides the colour
variety and extremely low prices. vision is that any number of teams within palette, the fonts and other design
a company can make a case for why they elements, and the merchandisers lay out
That approach obviously won’t work for a
should determine how e-commerce the upcoming season’s product strategy.
minimalist luxury label, or a mall retailer
should look and operate. That can include But the team responsible for online
looking to tell its story. When conceiving
marketers who know the brand codes inside revenue is in pole position.
a website strategy, each brand needs to
and out, merchandisers who know what
start with a clear idea of what kind of [Link]’s Method
next season’s hero product will be, the
experience they want to create and the
e-commerce team with its reams of [Link] adopts a variation on this
message it will communicate.
customer data and laser-focus on revenue, approach: a digital product team “owns”
“What type of relationship are you trying or the technology team that knows how the site, but its mandate is to implement
to have with your customer? And how is to construct the optimal user experience, the company’s larger strategic goals in
each specific element of the ecosystem not to mention what’s actually feasible on collaboration with different teams, said
going to play a role?” said Thaïs Montjean, the allotted budget. Danielle Schmelkin, chief information
officer at [Link] Group, overseeing
technology, including the website, at
[Link], Madewell and [Link] Factory.
Exhibit 1
“Even though we own that product
Fashion’s Most-Trafficked Websites roadmap, it’s really hand in hand with
Brand websites can draw millions of visitors every month, making them powerful how our brand thinks strategically about
channels for sales and marketing. the goals they’re trying to hit for the
year,” Schmelkin said.
Top 10 US apparel retail sites The retailer divides the parts of its
Unique visitors in June 2024 (millions) website into three buckets.
First are foundational elements, which
Shein 46.9 are rarely going to be touched. The
checkout process is an example – if it’s
Nike 16.2 working well, there’s no reason to make
significant changes to it. And the costs of
breaking the ability for customers to place
Gap Inc. 11.5 orders, or the stability of the site itself,
are too great to risk in all but the most
Nordstrom 10.5 exceptional circumstances.
Next are the features, more malleable
Victoria’s Secret 7.3 elements of the site that are frequently
reviewed for optimisation and upgrades.
Adidas 6.6 Search, product categories and the layout
of the product page are examples.
Skechers 6.1 Finally, there are the futures — big swings
to test on the site, which may become
features or may be quietly abandoned.
StockX 5.9
For example, algorithmically generated
product recommendations started with
JustFab 5.5 a handful of items sold on sister brand
Madewell’s site and are now deployed on
Urban Outfitters 4.3 every product at all of the group’s brands.
“We really believe in a testing culture,
in trying things, in seeing what works,”
Note: Total digital population includes desktop and mobile
Schmelkin said.
Source: Comscore Meida Metrix Multi-Platform

[Link] 4
Strategy

Telling Your Brand’s Story

01 — The Homepage

In August 2024, Gap’s homepage featured a video of singer Troye Sivan and a crew of dancers wearing trendy Gap clothing, including crop tops and wide-legged jeans. (Gap)

When Richard Dickson became chief stage in December of that year. “The newest collection. Below the main video,
executive of Gap Inc. in August 2023, clarity of the conversation with individual models dance in smaller
the homepage of its flagship brand was consumers just needed an edit.” panels, showing off individual looks. The
crowded with deals, credit-card offers and only mention of deals is a thin banner at
Visitors to Gap’s homepage in August
other promotions. Amid the clutter, static the top, and a tab at the bottom that can
2024 would find their browser nearly
images of models in generic basics stared be clicked to reveal more information on
filled with a looping video of the singer
out at visitors. the company’s Labour Day sale.
Troye Sivan and a crew of dancers
“You barely knew what we were actually sporting crop tops, wide-legged jeans Dickson recognised that first impressions
selling,” Dickson said on the BoF VOICES and other on-trend items from Gap’s matter, even — or perhaps especially — for

[Link] 5
Strategy

a brand as well-known as Gap. According arrive at brands’ websites via channels same thing as forcing customers to wade
to SimilarWeb, the average visitor to like search and social media, or through through the marketing team’s mood
one of the 50 most-trafficked fashion affiliate links and newsletters — all of board before getting the chance
e-commerce sites, including Nike, Macy’s, which primarily direct to individual to actually shop. Take Gap’s full-window
Lululemon, Asos and [Link] among them, products. Troye Sivan video: Users who clicked it
spends four minutes and 27 seconds there would be taken to the denim shop, and
However, the type of user who proactively
and visits six pages. Nearly 40 percent it included a button at the bottom to
seeks out a brand is in many ways a more
bounce away from a site having looked check out new arrivals. This layout is
appealing customer. They are likely to
only at a single page. common for brands, particularly in
be more interested in learning about the
the luxury space, when they launch a
This isn’t much to work with, especially brand’s overall offerings, or checking out
major campaign.
when you consider that those six pages the “new in” section, Smulders said. They
often include one or two checkout may also visit the homepage because they Many brands try for a consistent feel
screens. It’s even less when you consider already know they want to buy a specific between their homepage and social-media
that roughly 75 percent of visitors come item — and can perhaps be persuaded to feeds, particularly if their customers
through mobile, and those shoppers spend browse a bit along their journey to the are mostly coming from Instagram
even less time on any individual site. product page. and TikTok. In September 2024, the
top of the homepage for Rhode, Hailey
Gap isn’t the only brand decluttering its In all of these cases, the key is to nudge
Bieber’s skincare line, displayed a looping
homepage. Baymard described about shoppers along their journey rather than
video snippet from its “summer nights”
half of e-commerce homepages as ad forcing them down a brand’s funnel.
campaign, featuring a glimpse of a model
heavy in 2023, though that’s down from
“Users can be put off by sites that are in a vespa’s side mirror and the brand’s
60 percent in 2020.
too pushy,” said Richard Lam, senior UX viral phone case/lip balm holder. That
Brands can fall in the trap of spending auditor at Baymard Institute. “You want same series of images had 62,000 likes on
too much of their limited resources to allow the user to basically focus on the brand’s Instagram.
perfecting the homepage, however. While their goals and their task at hand.”
There are other ways to immerse
plenty of customers were no doubt wowed
by the Troye Sivan video, odds are that
Brand Identity shoppers in a brand’s universe. Y/Project’s
homepage in mid-September put new
many visitors to Gap’s website never The homepage is also still the best place
arrivals front and centre. It’s exactly the
saw it. That’s because shoppers mainly for world building, though that isn’t the
sort of brand Smulders identified where
fans will come in through the homepage
looking for the latest releases. On a sparse
homepage dominated by images, it also
Exhibit 2
has clear links to view archival footage
Mobile Versus Desktop of its popular Paris fashion shows and
campaign imagery, or to just shop.
While traffic on mobile keeps growing, the smaller screen means shoppers have less
tolerance for a bad site. To inspire visitors to explore Cartier’s
world and consider products they might
not have thought about before, in August
Average across the top 50 fashion and apparel e-commerce sites (May–July 2024)
the jewellery brand’s homepage invited
visitors to explore “stacking stories,”
44.0 referring to the practice of mixing and
Mobile
matching rings, bracelets and other
Desktop
pieces. A dominant looping video included
a “scroll to discover” button that took
visitors on a journey through a variety of
ways to shop the site: scroll down once,
and you landed on conventional photos of
watches and rings with “shop” buttons;
27.6 scroll again, and you saw photos of models
dotted with interactive buttons that zoom
into various pieces they’re wearing.
Luxury sites are often designed around
discovery to appeal to aspirational
shoppers who might feel intimidated by
browsing inside a store, or don’t live close
11.2 enough to one, Montjean said.

7.0 But others, such as Balenciaga, opt for a

more straightforward style. Its homepage
4.4 usually features big, easily recognisable,
3.0
shoppable images of hero products or
collections (though it will sometimes lead
Bounce rate* (%) Visit duration Pages visited with campaigns soon after they launch).
(minutes) “It looks so simple,” Andjelic said. “The
products speak for themselves.”
*Share of visitors who left a site after visiting only one page

Source: SimilarWeb

[Link] 6
Strategy

Brands are embracing subtle ways to link to offline experiences and remind customers
they exist beyond the grid of products on their website. (Neiman Marcus (top),
Jo Malone (middle, bottom))

Building a Bridge to the Real World Jo Malone is known for its friendly Brands’ real-world events can also have
service and signature cream-coloured a second life online. Aimé Leon Dore
Brands are also embracing subtle ways
packaging — neither of which translates has dedicated pages to a 3X3 women’s
to link to offline experiences and remind
easily to a website. However, on the basketball tournament it sponsored with
customers they exist beyond the grid of
brand’s homepage, visitors can book New Balance, as well as DJ sets broadcast
products on their website.
in-store appointments to learn about from its New York and London stores.
Neiman Marcus invites online shoppers new fragrances, have a purchase gift The emerging menswear brand Le Père
to fill out a short quiz to receive personalised wrapped or even receive a scented hand- posts photos and blog posts about its
advice from a stylist. Users of [Link]’s app and-arm massage. The site also offers block parties, concerts and other events,
can create wish lists that store associates complimentary gift wrapping on all orders, exposing them to a larger audience than
can access to help find what they need something most brands charge for, if they whoever was able to make it to their store
when they visit a real life store. offer it at all. in New York’s Lower East Side.

[Link] 7
 Strategy

02 — The User Journey

Exhibit 3

Users generally find fashion brands’ homepages easy to navigate,

but often struggle from there
26 apparel and accessories sites ranked by user-experience performance
Baymard’s UX benchmark performance score

Poor Mediocre Decent Good Perfect

Homepage

Category Taxonomy
& Main Navigation

On-Site Search

Product Page

Source: Baymard Institue

“I don’t care how you got to Navigation and Discovery That’s not always easy to do, particularly
for retailers that offer a large assortment
us. But when you get to us Shopping websites are inherently
complicated, filled with nesting
of products. At [Link], shoppers can
browse nearly 5,000 individual items —
… we want to give you the categories, thousands of product pages not counting Baby Gap. The selection can
and other content. How these pages be narrowed down via a dizzying array
right experience.” are organised and navigated by users is of filters, from size, colour and fabric to
known as information architecture. The more granular options, including neckline
— Danielle Schmelkin, chief information mission is to ensure people can quickly
officer, [Link] Group and leg shape.
find what they want in the way they want,
whether it’s menu filters, a search box Customers are used to filters like this,
or a brand’s product guides — and find though it can be frustrating to select half
their way back to browsing if they are a dozen options and see choices merely
interested in looking for something else. narrowed from the thousands to the
This experience must also be equally hundreds (and not everyone will know the
smooth no matter how a visitor arrived at ins and outs of leg shapes). Brands have
the site, whether it’s by clicking an ad ways of cutting through the clutter, and
that links to a product page, or through raising the odds that the items that make
the homepage. their way to the top of the filtered grid will
be the ones shoppers want to buy.
Within each of these pathways, there are
customers who love the brand and want “It starts with that taxonomy and that
to explore, customers who just want to structure of organising things and
make their purchase and get out, and actually looking for how we can help
myriad shades in between. A good website people find what they want as quickly
provides something for all of them, as they can, and transact in the most
without getting in the way. seamless way possible with the fewest
clicks possible,” Smulders said. “And that
“I don’t care how you got to us. But when this experience feels very natural and not
you get to us … we want to give you the right overburdened with extra stuff.”
experience,” [Link]’s Schmelkin said.

[Link] 8
Strategy

Ganni’s clothing tab features buttons for popular

categories and styles, including tops, T-shirts and items
featuring the brand’s signature leopard print. (Ganni)

Many activewear brands let you search by the usual tops, bottoms and footwear, but also by activity – road running
versus trail running on Hoka’s site (top), or workout versus casual on Lululemon’s (bottom). (Hoka, Lululemon)

Ganni has an easier task than Gap — a trail running on Hoka’s site, or workout clothes while they’re browsing. When
mere 305 items in its clothing tab, though versus casual on Lululemon’s. Vaan Group, an e-commerce design and
still a daunting number for someone development agency, helped redesign
Other brands put the focus on size,
looking for the perfect midi dress or pair Land’s End’s website, it asked a panel of
often the most common pain point for
of jeans. The brand has the usual filters ordinary shoppers to sort a selection of
consumers shopping online because
with drop-down menus. But there are items and describe how they categorised
they have no way to try an item on before
also buttons at the top of its pages that them, said co-founder and chief executive
purchasing it.
instantly sort for popular categories and Xavier Armand. What they found was
styles. A shopper can click one to view Baymard said a common mistake brands that, rather than small/medium/large,
tops and T-shirts, as well as buttons make, however, is to list all the sizes in a many participants wanted to see items
to see all items featuring the brand’s filter. It can be frustrating to see shoe sizes, grouped in broad, descriptive buckets
signature leopard print, whether it’s a dress sizes, words and numbers jumbled based on their body type. Today, Land’s
bag or a bomber jacket. (This can create together in a single menu. Even single- End’s sizing filter gives options such as
complications of its own; a button for category sizing can be a minefield: One petite, plus size, regular, plus and tall
“peplum tie detail blouses” turned up no brand’s size 8 is another’s size 10. And it’s plus, rather than specific sizes.
results, though the brand does appear to never clear if “large” will fetch you “large
sell this style). sweaters,” “large pants,” both or neither.
Many activewear brands let you search A/B testing and focus groups can help
by the usual tops, bottoms and footwear, anticipate these issues by uncovering how
but also by activity – road running versus shoppers actually think about a brand’s

[Link] 9
Strategy

A Note on Mobile
You may have noticed this case study a deal killer on mobile. The reverse is
rarely differentiates between desktop and also true. There are navigation elements
mobile sites – on its face a curious choice, that can improve the experience on both
considering that some three-quarters but are especially important on mobile.
of visitors to fashion e-commerce sites One example is breadcrumbs, the links
are browsing on their phones, not their that allow users to retrace their journey
laptops, according to SimilarWeb. from a product to a sub-category to a top
category to the homepage. If a shopper
This is because, with a few key exceptions,
on Balenciaga’s mobile site clicks on the
desktop and mobile design tends to be the
Rodeo large handbag in black, they will
same. [Link]’s mobile site, for instance, is
see at the top links for “women/bags/
essentially the desktop site shrunk down
handbags,” any one of which will take them
to a six-inch by three-inch screen. This
to a broader selection of products. On the
approach, which gained momentum in the
same page, they can also go deeper with
early 2010s with the advent of responsive
colour and size options.
web design, is common due to budgetary
reasons or to avoid further complicating When brands do consider the mobile
the already byzantine information experience first, it’s often through apps,
architecture of e-commerce sites. which have different capabilities and are
often targeted at the most loyal customers.
While practical, the desktop-mirroring
Many brands have apps like [Link]’s
mobile experience is inherently less
which offer perks for loyalty programme
pleasant due to the smaller screen size
members and first access to certain
and lack of keyboard — there’s a reason
products. Nike goes much further, turning
the bounce rate is higher and time spent
sneaker drops into events on its Snkrs app,
shorter on smartphones. According to
and encouraging users to track their runs
SimilarWeb data, on the top 50 fashion
with its Run Club fitness app. In addition
e-commerce sites, customers spent less
to generating sales, the apps provide a
than half as much time — a little over three
treasure trove of customer data.
minutes— and visited just four pages
before leaving mobile sites, versus 11
pages on desktop.
As a general rule, something that’s a
Nike turns sneaker drops into events on its Snkrs app nuisance on the desktop version of a site,
and encourages users to track their runs with its Run
such as unclear sizing filters, can become
Club fitness app. (Nike)

Exhibit 4

The user experience of brands’ desktop and mobile sites leaves room for improvement
26 apparel and accessories sites ranked by user experience performance
Baymard’s UX benchmark performance score

Poor Mediocre Decent Good Perfect

Overall UX
Performance

Desktop Web

Mobile Web

Source: Baymard Institue

[Link] 10
Strategy

The Surprisingly Controversial

Search Bar
E-commerce sites offer an alternative to
category menus and filters: the search
bar. On Amazon, this is the primary
way people find what they want. It’s so
popular that surveys have found many US
consumers start their hunt for products
to buy there rather than a search engine.
For fashion brands, however, search is
often one of the most neglected areas of
a site. Even beautiful, easy-to-navigate
websites can turn up bizarre, incomplete
results to simple queries. Search for “crop
top” on any number of sites, and they
might turn up some midriff-baring tees —
but more likely, they’ll display a grid full
of shirts that are merely shortened, i.e. Recommendations have gone from a promising niche to table stakes in just a few years. ([Link])
cropped, to rest at the waist.
while customers looking for “silky” items same item from a category page or on-site
There’s a reason for this: on fashion
might never see products made with search will see a “how to wear it” section
e-commerce sites, search is rarely the
“cupro” that fit the description, if not the with links to gold jewellery, a plaited belt
primary way clothing shoppers find
specific wording. and high-waisted white jeans.
what they want. In a recent focus group,
Baymard asked ordinary shoppers to Her team suggested using machine This two-track approach reflects the
try to find apparel they needed on seven learning to attach new search terms different mentalities of these two
different e-commerce sites. Every single to products. The merchandising team customers. A shopper coming in through
person at some point used the product initially resisted allowing shoppers to search is in browsing mode. They may
category drop-down menus. Only 10 see AI-generated language, worrying it have been looking for T-shirts but
percent used the search box — and then would be off-brand. But after some A/B probably hadn’t settled on that particular
only if they first couldn’t find what they testing, the new terms proved so useful one. Whereas a customer browsing
needed through other means. that [Link] added them to the bottom of [Link]’s selection of T-shirts has
the product pages themselves. seen the alternatives and made an initial
Baymard theorised this is because, on
commitment to the pima cotton variety.
fashion websites, the assortment is Now, if you type “PJs,” you’ll get
relatively narrow and intuitively slots into functional pyjama sets. Search for “If you came to us through Google,
categories, unlike on Amazon. “sleepover,” however, and you’ll see you might land on something that
a selection of fun nightgowns, some was interesting but not exactly right,”
For fashion brands, therefore, heavy use
featuring detachable faux feather trim. Schmelkin said. “How do we give you the
of search can be a sign that products could
sense that there are other options?”
be categorised more clearly. A user might
search for suit jackets because they’re
Recommendations Schmelkin said [Link]’s
unaware that they could have found them Another way to help shoppers zero in recommendations are an example of
under an “occasionwear” category link. on products they’ll actually want to buy something that made the leap from
Some sites have a “sweaters” tab, others is to steer them there. When done well, the “futures” bucket to a “feature.” A
“knitwear.” Accessories like jewellery, this can be the algorithmic equivalent few years ago, it was used only on a few
scarves and gloves may appear under any of a sales associate guiding a confused categories at sister brand Madewell.
number of sub-menus depending on the customer to the perfect item. But lazy Today, all product pages at both brands
brand. or poorly designed recommendations feature cross sells.
simply add to a site’s clutter, and can
[Link] is one brand that has worked Social recommendations are another
even undercut a brand’s credibility. Why
to improve its search. It found that a approach, though one that brands need to
should a customer believe in a brand’s
significant number of shoppers rely on it, weigh carefully whether to deploy them.
taste level if it doesn’t know how to style
and not because they found the category Seeing how many other people viewed an
its own clothes?
pages confusing. Rather, they were item can give a customer the confidence to
signalling an intent to make a purchase: Recommendations have gone from a make the purchase, said Sarah Shapiro, a
They had a specific need and saw search promising niche to table stakes in just a consultant who publishes the Retail Diary
as the most direct route to get there, few years. They can generally be divided newsletter. And if a brand is lucky enough
Schmelkin said. When they found what into two categories: alternative cross to have a product go viral, the counter can
they wanted, they had a significantly sells, where a shopper is recommended create its own momentum – if Coach’s
higher likelihood to make a purchase. similar items to what they are already Brooklyn bag had over 22,000 views in
looking at; and supplementary cross sells, the last 24 hours, how could you not buy it?
Their success rate was only so-so,
which suggest other items that might pair
however. One problem was that the way However, Shapiro recommends A/B
well with a purchase.
[Link]’s marketing and merchandising testing counters and other elements
teams described products only sometimes [Link] uses both, sometimes on the same of social shopping to see if they move
matched how shoppers searched for them. page. If you arrive at a pima cotton T-shirt product. It’s not a good fit for every
For example, a search for “PJs” might not via a Google search, the brand shows you brand. [Link]’s experiments with the
have turned up all relevant items because that item but also suggests other tops. By concept failed to move the needle on sales,
[Link] calls those items “sleepwear,” contrast, a customer who clicks on the Schmelkin said, though the brand does for

[Link] 11
 Strategy

“The more we know about

you, the more we want
to create an experience
that feels a little bit more
relevant to you — in the
right way.”
— Danielle Schmelkin, chief information
officer, [Link] Group

Brands can tell whether a customer lingers over text descriptions of clothes, or immediately clicks on images, or
researches an item’s materials and planetary impact. ([Link])

certain items say how many orders were an item’s materials and planetary impact.
placed in the last 24 hours. Such insights can help a brand tailor their
site’s user experience.
Personalisation
[Link] tailors its site based on a few data
Rather than just relying on algorithms
points today – how a visitor arrived on
to determine what belt pairs with which
the site, their gender and whether they
shirt, brands are taking steps to serve up
have a loyalty account, among others – but
product recommendations — or even an
could expand to as many as 15 in the near
entire shopping experience — tailored to
future, Schmelkin said.
individual shoppers.
“The more we know about you, the more
Most sites already have some level of
we want to create an experience that feels
personalisation. Cookies that track
a little bit more relevant to you — in the
browsing behaviour have been around
right way,” she said.
for 30 years. But brands are getting more
sophisticated in how they gather and use That last bit is important. Subtle
this information. They’re finding cleverer personalisation can make navigating a
ways to learn about their customers, site easier, and increase the likelihood a
overtly through loyalty programmes or shopper finds what they want, such as by
quizzes about size and style preferences, surfacing more relevant items on the first
and covertly through cookies and by page of search results. But brands need to
applying artificial intelligence to detect be careful not to take the concept too far.
more subtle behavioural cues. At its
Vaan Group’s Armand said retailers
simplest, a site might know if a man
shouldn’t come across like they’re mining
or woman is browsing and ensure the
a user’s government data to recommend
lead images on the homepage showcase
them T-shirts. That’s “creepy,” he pointed
products that conform to their gender.
out. “What you really want is a concierge
E-commerce personalisation is still experience.”
quite primitive, especially compared to
the hyper-targeted algorithms deployed
by Spotify or Netflix. But brands are
slicing customers into increasingly
refined archetypes and personalising in
ways beyond showing a male or female
model on the homepage. A brand can
tell whether a customer lingers over text
descriptions of clothes, or immediately
clicks on images, or whether they research

[Link] 12
Strategy

03 — The Heart of the Website

In today’s e-commerce environment, the product page has supplanted the homepage as the focal point. (Maison Margiela)

The Product Page Most brands provide a model’s height and Information Overload
what size they’re wearing. In some cases,
In today’s e-commerce environment, The information provided alongside
brands will show a second image — often
the product page has supplanted the product images is often where the battle
the clothes lying flat against a neutral
homepage as the focal point. There are between merchants, marketers, the
background — when a shopper hovers
two reasons for this shift: By definition e-commerce team and the product team
their mouse over the model.
it’s where customers have the most plays out.
intent to purchase. It’s also increasingly Where many product images still look
While pages can theoretically scroll
where they’re arriving at a website, either much as they did when they primarily
forever, there is in practice limited real
because they clicked an affiliate link, an appeared in catalogues and newspaper
estate. The first display that greets
ad, or searched for an item on Google or advertisements — models standing stock-
visitors to a product page is crucial. Heat
an aggregator such as Lyst. still or posed in “casual” positions — it’s
maps of how users browse product pages
becoming more common to see imagery
“When you’re initially browsing your show they rarely scroll far, and shoppers
and video that would look at home on
product list, it’s basically evaluating are just as likely to close their tab as hunt
Instagram or TikTok.
potential options. But once you’re at a for details in fussy drop-down menus.
product page, you’re really deciding ‘am I “Taking those cues [from social media],
Most e-commerce experts agree that
buying this or not?’” Baymard’s Lam said. I think just makes it feel more intuitive,”
providing accurate, comprehensive sizing
said Vaan’s Armand. “It’s recognisable.”
Many brands have upped their game information in the first view a shopper
in this department in response. High- Vaan Group has designed websites for sees is the top priority. In addition to
quality photography — and, increasingly, brands such as Makeup by Mario and providing a link to a brand-wide size
video — detailed information customised Rhode that connect first with their guide, product-specific fit summaries
to individual items and intuitive customers on social media. It’s no drawn from customer reviews are
navigation are now table stakes. coincidence that, on most pages, whether becoming more common.
it’s the homepage or product pages, the
Product Images 101 images scroll horizontally, like
Brands would also be wise to give
customers an opportunity to add an item
First, the basics: Customers expect to see Instagram Stories.
to their cart without needing to scroll,
clothes on a model, ideally from multiple
Similarly, the clickable buttons on going by the maxim that any additional
angles and with the ability to zoom in on
Cartier’s product images evoke the labour required of a customer, however
details. A growing number of brands are
ubiquitous tags seen on social media minor, will result in lost sales. Some
including video of models walking in clothes
generally. elements of the checkout page have also
to show how they move. Maison Margiela
begun to migrate to the product page.
uses this to great effect, with slow-motion Some brands offer user-generated content
[Link], Old Navy and H&M are among the
video against abstract backgrounds as well. Nike and Adidas post photos
brands that allow you to select whether an
capturing how fringe, sequins and flowing pulled from customers who tagged the
item should be shipped to home or a store,
coats ripple with each step. brand on Instagram.

[Link] 13
 Strategy

Dôen provides a “sheerness index” that tells customers how see-through an item might be. (Dôen)

“When you’re initially right under the size selection tool. are still met with scepticism by many
shoppers, who assume brands censor
For both sizing and shipping, the goal is
browsing your product list, to combat two of the biggest problems of
negative feedback and generate fake
positives. Plenty of brands are no doubt
it’s basically evaluating e-commerce: cart abandonment – which
averages 70 percent across e-commerce
guilty of doing exactly that. In August
2024, the US Federal Trade Commission
potential options. But once sites, according to Baymard – and high
finalised a rule banning companies from
return rates. By providing relevant
you’re at a product page, information before a customer adds an
using fake reviews. But many have come
around to welcoming honest opinions,
item to their cart, it reduces the risk
you’re really deciding they’ll encounter an unpleasant surprise
even allowing customers to post photos
of themselves wearing their purchase. In
‘am I buying this or not?’” on the checkout page, such as that an item
is on final sale and cannot be returned,
encouraging customers to view how items
are perceived, flaws and all, it can build
— Richard Lam, senior UX auditor, that dissuades them from buying. And
trust with a brand and reduce return
Baymard Institute being honest about sizing will reduce
rates.
returns, and discourage customers from
buying the same item in multiple sizes. [Link] has given greater prominence
Revolve, which is struggling with a return to reviews over the last year. The brand
rate approaching 60 percent, has rolled now promotes its reviews as a resource
out size comparison tools, virtual try-on alongside its own copy, allowing users
and other services. to sort based on reviewers’ body type to
learn how people with similar builds to
Depending on the brand, information
their own enjoyed a product (or didn’t).
about materials or sustainability often
Jenni Kayne goes even further, allowing
come after the essentials. Rather than
users to filter reviews for everything from
treating this section as a series of
age to a reviewer’s usual size to sorting
generic fields to fill out, this is another
only for negative reviews.
opportunity for a brand to make an
impression. Dôen, a Los Angeles label The next frontier, Schmelkin says, is AI-
known for its feminine dresses and tops, generated super-reviews that aggregate
provides a “sheerness index” that tells all feedback, positive and negative. These
customers how see-through an item can be seen on Amazon and a handful
might be. On, known for its CloudTec of other sites but are still rare in fashion
sneakers, gives generous real estate to e-commerce, aside from informing the
information about the various materials “how a product will fit” description.
and technologies contained in its shoes.
Styling recommendations and other
cross sells typically come next. Then at
the bottom are the reviews. User reviews

[Link] 14
Strategy

How [Link] Designed

It’s Product Page
[Link] website ([Link]) Lead image
Gwyneth pleated slip skirt Multiple images of the model Navgation aids Add to Bag
wearing the skirt, as well as a These “breadcrumbs,” which provide
closeup of the skirt against a Option to add
a trail back to browsing, are especially to cart without
neutral background. important on smaller mobile screens. needing to scroll.
Users can zoom in on any part
of any image.

Store selection
Option to ship to
home or store on
product page rather
than checkout.

Size information
Several tips
guiding shoppers
to the correct size,
including a brand-
wide size guide
Product details and a link to an
Scrolling down the page auto-generated
reveals less-essential but recommendation
still commonly requested based on user
information, such as materials reviews.
and cleaning instructions.

How to Wear It
Styling recommendations provide
links to items the model is wearing,
with an option to browse two or
three alternatives.

[Link] 15
Strategy

How [Link] Designed

It’s Product Page
[Link] website ([Link])
Gwyneth pleated slip skirt
Reviews
Reviews can be
sorted by rating,
date and body type.
Negative reviews are
not hidden, and the
company responds to
some complaints.

Alternate Cross Sell Opportunity

Additional recommendations for
similar products. A user arriving via
search would see this first, rather
than the “how to wear it” options.

More Inspiration
AI-generated descriptive terms based
More breadcrumbs on customer search data and input from
Photos of recently viewed items help users [Link] merchants. Intended to provide
navigate away from the product page. inspiration for future searches.

[Link] 16
Lessons
For all the advancements in sizing information, This case study isn’t about pushing back against
video and product reviews described above, most these constrictions. It’s meant to show how, even
e-commerce sites still send shoppers down the same amid the cookie-cutter layouts, there is plenty
pipeline from grid to product page to checkout of room for brands to maximise their website’s
that they have since e-commerce took off nearly potential, both from a marketing and revenue
three decades ago. standpoint.

Key takeaways:

• A website should accomplish two goals: tell a • This doesn’t mean the homepage should be
brand’s story, and sell its products. Companies ignored. It remains the best place to tell a
need to balance both of these missions to find brand’s story. Brands have shifted away from
success. just using the homepage to push deals and
other promotions on customers, instead using
• An e-commerce site must account for the near-
this prime real estate to amplify marketing
infinite variety of users and user journeys that
campaigns, increasingly with video, and to pitch
can and will occur. The first step is knowing your
hero products.
customer, both psychologically and through
behavioural data. • Just as in a physical store, a website should be
built around helping users find what they want
• Companies need to decide who internally
as quickly and easily as possible. Easily navigable
has ultimate authority over the site, and how
category menus, filters and the search box play
they can best serve the sometimes conflicting
the role of the sales associate. These tools must
interests of other teams, whether it’s marketing,
be built around how customers, rather than
e-commerce or merchandising. All parties must
merchants or marketers, think about products.
be working towards the same goals.
• Recommendations and personalisation play an
• The product page has supplanted the homepage
important role in driving sales and developing
as the heart of the e-commerce site, as that is
customers’ understanding of a brand. Any part
where most visitors now arrive and form their
of the website can be tailored to archetypes or
first impressions. Without scrolling, shoppers
even individual shoppers, with their consent.
should see multiple, appealing images for each
item, essential information — particularly sizing
— and have the ability to add to cart.

While the grid may feel immutable, there are Tjoeng’s ChatLabs jettisons most of the trappings
indications the way people shop is changing in of e-commerce sites entirely. The start-up, which
fundamental ways. The shift from homepage to won LVMH’s Innovation Award for data and AI in
product page as the primary entry point is one 2023, detects how a user arrived at the site, and
example. The rise of shopping apps, and Shein-style combined with real-time behavioural data, sends
gamification are two others. them on a custom shopping journey. This resembles
an Instagram or TikTok feed, with shoppable images,
What might come next? Here again, social media can
information, advertising and other content.
provide some clues. TikTok Shop has given social
commerce, a popular form of shopping in much It’s a novel way to tackle the problem of catering to
of Asia, a foothold in the West. Consumers now infinite permutations of user journeys, and as of
routinely buy products directly from their feeds, September 2024 was being tested on websites for
bypassing e-commerce sites entirely. Tiffany, Dior and other brands. Tjeong said he also
hopes to push back against the idea that websites
A number of start-ups are playing with the
need to be optimised for commerce at the expense of
e-commerce format in even more radical ways.
branding.
LongStoryShort’s invite-only app is laid out like
Instagram, with an endless scroll of photos of “We’re not trying to give you your best product
limited-edition sneakers, couture dresses and even details page to minimise clicks to the checkout,” he
French chateaus that users can like, save for later said. “I want maximum clicks to basket. I want them
viewing, or enquire about buying. Daydream, a start- to be fully immersed in the brand.”
up founded by the entrepreneur Julie Bornstein,
promises to incorporate generative AI from the
ground up, allowing users to search for products in
novel ways.

[Link] 17
Further Reading
• The Business of Fashion, Case Study | How to Take the Friction Out of Commerce
• The Business of Fashion, How to Get Customers to Shop Online
• The Business of Fashion, Why Fashion’s Curation Problem Is so Hard to Solve
• The Business of Fashion, The Key to E-Commerce Success: Treat Clothing as Content
• Hyper Studios and Vaan Group, Luxury, Online
• Baymard Institute, Prioritising Investment in Category Navigation and Curated Paths Over Search

[Link] 18
For press enquiries, please contact:

Jael Fowakes
Director, Brand & Communications
[Link]@[Link]

Liam Johnson
Senior Account Director, Camron Global
[Link]@[Link]

Copyright © 2024, The Business of Fashion Ltd. All rights reserved

All information contained herein is the sole property of The Business of Fashion Limited. The Business of Fashion Limited
reserves all rights regarding the use of this information. Any unauthorised use, such as distributing, copying, modifying,
or reprinting, is not permitted. Please contact [Link]@[Link] for more copies.

Design by Amy Vien

Edited by Brian Baskin and Marc Bain

Front cover image: Balenciaga, [Link], Gap

Discover our complete online courses and learning resources at: [Link]/masterclasses

info@[Link]

[Link]