Luxury shoe retailer Stuart Weitzman will launch an e-commerce site in China next year, along with making its U.S. website more mobile friendly, according to Internet Retailer.
The company launched an e-commerce site in Hong Kong this year and is planning to launch in China by mid-2015. China “still hasn’t quite reached its maturity in selling full-price contemporary and luxury goods, but that’s going to happen because it’s such a massive market,” said CEO Wayne Kulkin. “Socialization of the brand really is so important over there. That’s why in three years, I think that will be the dominant market.”
Since 2011, e-commerce has been the company’s biggest growth channel both domestically and internationally, Kulkin said.
The retailer hired eBay veteran Monica Schwartz in July as chief global digital and e-commerce officer. Schwartz said a major challenge is how to recreate online the shopping experience that luxury consumers expect in a bricks-and-mortar store. “Online, we try to address various areas where retail has an advantage,” including product and fit, she said. “We ask our associates on the floor to contribute their knowledge of fit on particular styles to further train our customer service team.”
The company is also rebuilding its e-commerce site using responsive-design techniques to tailor the site’s look to a customer’s device. That’s scheduled to roll out early in 2015. “We must enable our customers to access our brand across any device they choose with a seamless shopping experience,” Schwartz said.
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