The coronavirus pandemic has brought many luxury fashion brands online, forcing them to think beyond retail and find new opportunities to sell online and build a loyal following. One brand that was able to seamlessly transition to online selling and create a remarkable virtual presence is Hirshleifers.
Hirshleifers is a family business with a legacy as old as 1910. The specialty luxury brand is at the forefront of global fashion, curating over 1000 international designers and providing the best in luxury fashion.
To set up their presence online, Hirshleifers turned to XgenTech to build a storefront that reflects who they are and provide an easy shopping experience for their vast and dedicated customer base. We followed a few key tactics to ensure that Hirshleifers’ storefront looks and feels exactly like their retail stores and we’re spilling these best practices for you.
Here are 8 Shopify store design best practices for luxury fashion brands to provide a unique experience on their online store.
8 Shopify Store Design Tactics Used to Deliver a Luxury Fashion Shopping Experience on Hirshlieifers
1. Minimal design with a focus on product photos
Luxury fashion brands want a clean look so that shoppers can instantly focus on the products on display. Providing this minimal look was easy for Hirshleifers. The top banner set up on the luxury fashion brand’s storefront was monochromatic, with a crisp text that lets shoppers know what’s new (like their ‘Sale’).
Right below the top banner, shoppers see the newest products that have been added to the Shopify store, getting them to start browsing as soon as they scroll down.
2. Brand video on the storefront
You have to capture your shoppers’ attention from the moment they land so that you can successfully keep them on your Shopify store for longer and increase sales.
Adding a video to your homepage is one way to do this, and has proven to show multiple benefits. Websites using video have a 4.8% conversion rate while those without a video have a conversion rate of 2.9%. Video also helps websites with their search ranking. Having a video on a landing page makes it 53% more likely to show up on page 1 of the SERP.
Hirshleifers was able to increase engagement on their storefront by adding a short brand video that reflects the vibe of the luxury fashion store and gives a glimpse of a few products available.
3. Allowing shoppers to self-segment with gender-based collections on the storefront
As shoppers scroll down, they are shown a section that lets them navigate to ‘New Arrivals’ based on their gender. This section allows Hirshleifers to subtly help shoppers to segment themselves into their preferred gender and start browsing through the collection that matches them best.
This simple interactive section gets the luxury fashion brand’s store visitors to start browsing products of their interest within seconds of browsing the storefront.
4. The ‘Brand’ page allows shoppers to find products by their favorite designers
Since Hirshleifers has curated products by more than 1000 designers on its Shopify store, they would often entertain brand-loyal shoppers from time to time.
To cater to these shoppers, Hirshleifers has a dedicated brand directory that lists brands they feature in alphabetical order. This way, shoppers can quickly find the brand they favor and shop products designed and created by that brand alone.
For large businesses with such curated catalogs, such a brand directory can help your store visitors find the brand they love with minimal effort.
5. Instant add to cart with a size pop-ups on product catalogs
While shoppers are browsing the catalog on Hirshleifers’ website, they can easily add these products directly to their cart. Shoppers can just hover over the product to see the different sizes available and click on their size. The product is immediately added to the cart and shoppers can go ahead and check out their bag.
This instant add to cart ensures that shoppers don’t have to take extra steps to buy a product on the luxury fashion store, decreasing the time spent looking at products and getting them into carts with fewer clicks.
6. Search filters on collection pages for easy browsing
With an extensive catalog, it may be hard for shoppers to find the exact product they are looking for. Hirshleifers has a search filter feature on all its collections and catalog pages to solve this.
Shoppers can narrow down their search to the color of the product, product type, brand, and even price range to easily get products that match their needs and preferences.
Despite being a small feature, search filters have a great impact on sales. First-time shoppers who use search filters have 2x higher conversion rates than shoppers who don't. What’s more, repeat shoppers convert 52% more often, on average, with search filters enabled on the store.
Pro-tip: If you’re looking to enable search filters on your Shopify store, you can do so with Searchly. Further customizations for these filters can easily be done by working with a Shopify expert like XgenTech. Reach out to us at info@xgentech.net to set up a well-designed and branded search filter feature.
7. Use of red within product pages to highlight price drop
The product page on Hirshleifers is minimal, with enough details to help shoppers make their decision. However, there is one unique color-based tactic that the luxury fashion brand uses that helps them sell more.
For products on sale or with a price drop, Hirshleifers added a red-colored label named ‘Sale’ and shows the lowered price in red. This subtle visual element on their product page helps them capture visitor attention immediately, showing these shoppers what a steal the product would be at this price.
8. Cart drawer with minimal, credible, and crisp checkout details
Once an item is added to the cart, shoppers are shown a cart drawer with the details of the product within their bag and a few crucial details assuring the luxury fashion brand’s credibility and security. Within the cart drawer, shoppers are shown two types of information:
- Product details, including the product photo, price, size, etc.
- Shipping and payment details like how the shipping is calculated, which payment gateways are accepted, and how the shopper can be eligible for free shipping.
Frequently asked questions about starting a luxury fashion and apparel brand on Shopify
What are the best Shopify apps for fashion and apparel stores?
The right Shopify apps for fashion and apparel stores depends on the needs you have. Here are 5 Shopify apps you can consider for your fashion and apparel store:
1. Spently
Send stunning emails to your customers, especially transactional emails, and increase your sales through these crucial customer touchpoints.
2. Flits
Shoppers spend a lot of time on your customer account page. Enhance the experience here by setting up a well-designed and branded customer account page and provide robust features like wishlist and social login.
3. Searchly
Enable a better search experience by adding autosuggest and searchly filters to simplify how shoppers find products on your Shopify fashion store.
4. Lookbook
Set up stunning shoppable galleries to show different ways your products are worn and provide a visual shopping experience.
5. Smile
Set up a loyalty program to increase repeat purchases, engagement, and customer loyalty on your fashion and apparel store.
If you’re looking for more, we partner with leading Shopify apps that are guaranteed to increase sales. Learn about our partners.
How do I start a brand on Shopify?
Setting up your brand on Shopify is easy with the help of Shopify experts. Our team of experts will help you set up your online presence, enable the right Shopify apps, set up your product catalog, and help you start selling. Learn more.
Should I hire a Shopify expert?
Yes, hiring a Shopify expert is highly recommended. A Shopify expert is well-versed with the eCommerce industry and changing trends in the field, helping you set up an online presence that assures customer satisfaction and ease of shopping. Unlike setting up your Shopify store yourself, hiring a Shopify expert can help you save time and increase sales.
Learn how a Shopify expert can help you to set up your store for success.
Ensure your luxury fashion brand stand out online through your Shopify store design
Luxury fashion brands need to be able to adapt their strategy with changing times, just like Hirshleifers did. You need a Shopify store design that reflects your brand identity and provides a frictionless experience to shoppers. By just focusing on these 2 important details, you can increase your sales.
Setting up an authentic luxury shopping experience is easy with the right experts to help. Hirshleifers was able to create a minimal and posh experience on their virtual storefront with the help of Xgentech, allowing shoppers to easily find products they want and ensuring they don’t miss the retail experience.
Our team of Shopify design experts are well-versed with industry trends and consumer needs, ensuring your Shopify store hits the mark when it comes to providing a positive shopping experience. View all the Shopify stores we’ve worked with.
With our years of expertise in setting up eCommerce businesses of all sizes, we will work with you to set up a luxury fashion brand that assures higher sales.
Reach out to us at info@xgentech.net and work with our Shopify experts to set up your storefront.
