Okonkwo Prelims

Website and e-store design

A crucial aspect of the online branding strategy development of luxury goods

is website and e-store design. Luxury fashion website and e-store design

ought to aim to achieve more than basic, functional requirements, through a

focus on an enhanced web experience for every visitor to the website. This is

because e-retail involves a constant flow of innovative concepts of differen-

tiation to meet the high expectations of the online consumer.

One of the most powerful pioneering tools of designing high-impact

websites and e-stores is called ‘web-atmospherics’ or ‘webmospherics’. It is

the creation of a luxurious atmosphere on a brand’s website to emit the pres-

tigious atmosphere found in the physical stores of luxury brands.

Webmospherics is achieved through the utilization of specific elements to

reproduce the intricate ‘look and feel’ associated with luxury brands. The

concept of webmospherics was made prominent by Knowles and Chicksand

at the 2002 IBM E-business Conference in Birmingham; and Harris and

Dennis in their 2002 book, Marketing the E-Business.

The elements of webmospherics are adaptations to the five human senses

which, when applied, contribute to a more sensory online consumer experi-

ence. They are the following:

1 Visuals such as text, graphics, pictures, design, colours, videos, 3-D view

and zoom.

2 Sound such as music, clicks and other effects.

3 Smell such as fragrance and perfume samples.

4 Usability such as interactive tools, navigation ease, 3-clicks purchase,

video and sound control buttons, quick downloads, avatars, instant

messaging, chat groups, message boards, online shopping assistance,

complimentary products, collaborative filtering and virtual changing

rooms.

5 Personalization and customization of web pages, products and services.

The objective of webmospherics is to create a high-impact web experience,

increase purchase probability, aid in subsequent brand and website memory

recall and retain customer loyalty in the long-term. In order to achieve the

optimal effect, the features of webmospherics must be aligned and applied

with exactitude according to a brand’s specific attributes.

Visuals

Sight is the most powerful medium of attracting and retaining the interest of

online customers. Visuals involve the use of tools and aids that luxury brands

can manipulate to create a memorable web experience. These tools include

the colour scheme, pictures, video clips, slide shows, three-dimensional

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luxury fashion branding