Chopard E-Boutique Launch: A Decade Ago

Kong · 2012-10-03T05:24:37Z

Explore Chopard's 2012 launch of its first e-boutique, a strategic move to boost brand awareness and sales in the evolving luxury watch market.

NEW YORK, NY – October 2, 2012 Chopard, internationally renowned luxury Swiss watch and jewelry house, proudly announces the launch of its newly designed website and first e-commerce boutique, developed with the primary goal of increasing brand awareness. Additional objectives include driving traffic to stores, generating new business, sharing brand philosophies and detailed product information with consumers, and demonstrating Chopard’s commitment to forward-thinking endeavors.

“The watch and jewelry market has changed dramatically in the past four or five years thanks in great part to the rise of social media, and we aim to be on the forefront in all realms, including luxury e-commerce,” says Marc Hruschka, Chopard USA President and CEO.

The e-commerce site, us.chopard.com , launched Thursday in the US market only and serves as the pilot program for other global markets to follow suit in the future. The site is geared to reach consumers in major metropolitan cities that do not have a Chopard boutique or retail partner in their region. Additionally, the site is intended to increase brand awareness in markets where Chopard is already located, driving traffic to the stores.

“In many instances in the luxury world, customers want to see and touch the watches and jewelry before they buy it,” says Hruschka. “It is already clear to us that when we enter a market with a brick-and-mortar store, where we have retail partners, they benefit from the increased awareness; the same is true of this situation. We believe that retail partners and our boutiques will benefit from the halo effect of the increased brand recognition the site will generate.”

Completely owned, operated and fulfilled by Chopard in America, the e-boutique is extremely product oriented, with a wealth of newly written information about each piece showcased, and with all new photography. Approximately 650 product references will be available for purchase at the e-boutique, with prices that range from just over $100 for accessories, to more than $65,000 for specialty jewelry and timepieces. Product naturally includes the brand’s best sellers and iconic collections such as Happy Diamonds, Imperiale, Classic Racing, L.U.C, haute joaillerie, and a host of specialty pieces and exclusive limited editions. With such breadth of selection, self-purchase or gift shopping becomes seamless for busy consumers.

Additionally, the e-boutique incorporates editorial content about the brand’s rich historical roots, its cutting-edge haute horlogerie prowess, and visionary design processes in an effort to be as informational and engaging as possible. It also features a strong store-locator page listing every retail partner for savvy consumers to use as a resource tool.

For the design of the dynamic hybrid shopping site, Chopard turned to New York-based RO NEW YORK, an innovative studio specializing in sophisticated brand development. Rony Zeidan, RO NEW YORK founder and creative director, describes the concept as “a perfect hybrid of form and function. It was a goal for both RO NEW YORK and Chopard to channel the brand’s brick and mortar sensibilities into an experience that is both visually rich for the explorers, and appealing to serious shoppers.”

The result is an e-boutique that offers customers a journey of variety and discovery, allowing for the ultimate experience in every aspect -- from experiencing the brand, to easy navigation, convenient cart capabilities, wish-list management, click-to-chat with service specialists, scheduling of personal appointment if desired, secure check out and more. The responsive design, based in HTML5 technology, allows the website to resize and adapt to the user’s screen size, including mobiles and tablets.

“We remain fully committed to our retail partnerships,” says Hruschka, “But we believe that wholesale and retail can co-exist and complement each other with their strengths. This is a win-win situation for all.”

To date, Chopard has five US boutiques, including the recently expanded and remodeled South Coast Plaza, the remodeled Bal Harbour store and a newly opened Wynn boutique. Additionally, the brand partners with dozens of top-level retail jewelry stores. The launch of the e-boutique is a reflection of the brand’s global growth.

Chopard’s innovative approach to their products is reflected seamlessly in the execution of both the website and e-boutique. RO NEW YORK has created a destination that welcomes all customers with a superior luxury retail experience that is connected and elegant.

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Chopard E-Boutique Launch: A Decade Ago

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