Top designer brands urged to elevate online services

Prominent luxury brands could be losing customers due to unsatisfactory online services, a recent study by ContactLab reveals.

The Italy-based marketing intelligence firm analyzed the entire online purchasing experience, from the moment of purchase to delivery, for 29 global luxury brands and came up with the "Online Purchase Experience Ranking". The ratings used 67 parameters identified by ContactLab to measure the services offered by these top designer brands, including online ordering experience, delivery, packaging and returns.

The research focused on digital and physical customer experience touch points. The former refers to the online process, including choosing an item or checking out, while physical touch points pertain to direct customer engagement, including delivery time and packaging.

Results show that luxury brands are reaching less than half of their maximum potential on both categories, which could drive away unsatisfied customers.

"There is definitely work to be done in the luxury sector if brands are going to increase online sales year-on-year. Consumers pay a lot of money for products from these luxury brands and they expect the whole experience to have that luxury feeling, from the moment they order the item to the moment it arrives at their door. Brands must go that bit further at every single stage of the consumer journey, but very few are fulfilling their full potential," according to ContactLab CEO Massimo Fubini.

"The high-end fashion world has struggled, at times, to transfer the luxury experience of their bricks-and-mortar stores into their online offerings, but paying attention to the entire journey and offering added value at every step will allow these retailers to capitalise on the possibilities offered by the internet," he added.

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