Luxury brand Katharina Karl contacted V5 Digital to rejuvenate and refresh its website, and to increase brand awareness and sales. How did V5 Digital approach this project and arrive at the best solution that would support Katharina Karl in achieving its objectives?
V5 Digital experts work closely with their clients to co-create individual solutions that best suit the client’s needs, ensuring the website gives the ROI the client desires. They design and build fully responsive websites and Mobile Apps - starting with the customer experience and working back toward the technology.
So who is the client in this case, and what is the customer experience?
Renowned fashion designer Eva-Maria Manchen also known as Katharina Karl expresses it this way: “My passion is to create timeless designs coming together with traditional craftsmanship to be enjoyed for many years. Katharina Karl represents the iconic elements of style, sustainability and longevity.”
The passionate devotion of Eva-Maria and her husband, master furrier Heino Manchen, to a family tradition that goes back four generations, is reflected in the strictly limited range of precisely hand-crafted garments created in hand-stitched Swakara (Namibian Karakul). Katharina Karl manufactures selected furs, deluxe leathers, luxury cashmere and silks, plus a variety of the finest exotic leather accessories.
How did V5 Digital reflect and embed these elements in the new website which they built for Katharina Karl?
Firstly, V5 Digital accentuated the aesthetic because this website had to have an aesthetic sensibility akin to competitors in luxury fashion, such as Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior. The goal was to create a premium website to match a premium luxury brand, creating brand awareness on a global scale. The primary objectives of the new website were to enable engagement with current and future customers, to showcase new designs and materials, and to connect with consumers who are traveling to Namibia and with international target markets. All the products of this proudly Namibian company are designed and made in Namibia, and their exports are a source of great pride.
V5 Digital enhanced the site to global best practice standards, transforming it to become a fully responsive experience with a contemporary, luxury look and feel, plus state-of-the-art functionality. The website now conveys the intrinsic brand essence of timeless style, as well as communicating extrinsic brand values of individual service from a master atelier, and sustainability and craftsmanship. The website was also designed by V5 Digital to become an e-commerce platform in the future for online sales.
The Katharina Karl philosophy of sustainability reflected in the new website stems from the serious environmental responsibility it undertakes to safeguard and sustain our precious natural resources. All skins are obtained strictly under the regulations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Various raw-hides for its selected leather collections originate from the Northern and Southern parts of Africa, where the herds graze in wide open spaces. These species live in a natural environment where the skins are a side product.
The enhanced functionality enables clients searching the website to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, using product categories and filters. The contact form enables customers to have their questions answered by experts. The Messenger Response Assistant is a virtual assistant to answer FAQs 24/7 and direct customers to relevant parts of the website. This generates leads and furthers Katharina Karl’s brand pillar of offering personalized consultation.
Customers and fans of the brand can enroll to receive a newsletter that informs them of new products, promotions and updates. Interested customers are prompted to sign up when they visit the store. This premium newsletter ensures that their relationship with the brand continues beyond their visit. It maintains top-of-mind awareness, drives traffic to the website and maximizes the lifetime value of the customer.
Since 80% of consumers view websites on their phones, the website is “mobile responsive”, altering to best fit the device it is viewed on. Mobile speed is also critical: the number one reason people leave websites is that they are too slow to load on their phones.
V5 Digital ensured that the new Katharina Karl website loads quickly.
Finally, V5 Digital is excited to collaborate with Katharina Karl to position the website within the larger digital ecosystem, ensuring that, for example, by skillful use of social media, it will receive visits from the right audience at the right time.
And even while moving wholeheartedly into the digital age, Katharina Karl still carries forward the more than 160 years of family tradition, and the unwavering commitment to the conservation of our natural resources. In the words of Eva-Maria: “We treasure mother Earth and strive conscientiously to preserve her natural and renewable resources”
Take a look at the live site yourself at www.katharina-karl.com and be inspired!
If your website needs an update, or if you’re interested in any of the services V5 Digital offers, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free non-obligation quote. Book a free consultation today!
Comments