Parisians’ Favorite High-End Department Store Just Launched a Shopping Site
Le Bon Marché, Paris’s leading luxury department store, has made its way to the rest of the world: The store’s new multibrand website launched on June 6, following much anticipation from fashion insiders and shoppers.
The site, called 24 Sèvres and named after the department store’s physical address, is a venture spearheaded by the powerhouse luxury conglomerate LVMH Mo?t Hennessy. But it’s not LVMH’s first attempt to create a comprehensive e-commerce platform. The company first tried to compete with the likes of dominant players Net-a-Porter Yoox and Farfetch years ago with its now-defunct site eLuxury.
But this time is different, the company says. For one, the two men leading the charge — Ian Rogers, LVMH’s chief digital officer, and Eric Goguey, 24 Sèvres chief executive — are uniquely equipped to bring success to the new site, which was developed in 20 months. Rogers joined LVMH in 2015, after overseeing Apple’s acquisition of Beats; Goguey comes from Sephora, an LVMH-owned entity, which dominates beauty sales in stores and online.
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Both men think there’s one thing that will distinguish 24 Sèvres from its competitors, easing worries that luxury shopping in stores won’t translate to the digital world: customer service.
“E-commerce today is about a great customer service, about being really respectful of the customers’ time,” Rogers told Yahoo Style. “It’s about paying with your time and service in terms of concierge. I think we’re at this moment where there’s a critical mass of customers who want online shopping for a great experience.”
Rogers says 24 Sèvres will be distinct in three ways: First, their selection of products is “unique” (or, more accurately, coveted). 24 Sèvres will, for the first time, host all LVMH brands on one platform, including household names like Louis Vuitton. About 150 brands — as well as a capsule collection exclusive to 24 Sèvres coordinated with labels like Chloe?, Givenchy, and Loewe — are now available on the site.
Worth noting: Not all designer inventory as shown seems to available, at least not at launch. In a promotional image at the top of the website, a model contorts herself to model a Dior ribboned kitten heel from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first show as creative director — yet the shoe itself (or any Dior shoe, for that matter) does not seem to not be listed for purchase on the site.
Other items popular with the Instagram set but difficult to find anywhere — like the ubiquitous Gucci “double G” — are “no longer available” on the new site.
Rogers also says the new site will bring a “visual merchandising experience” to customers, meaning the site will be more dynamic than a list of clothes on a webpage. Think: More like your Instagram feed, less like a static matrix of products.
As for the customer service, there’s next-day delivery to most of the 70-plus countries that 24 Sèvres ships to, “click-and-collect” in Paris, and video chatting with human (not computer-generated) stylists.
It’s too early to know whether LVMH’s second attempt at a comprehensive e-commerce site will be successful. This time, though, it’s on solid ground.
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Alexandra Mondalek is a writer for Yahoo Style + Beauty. Follow her on Twitter @amondalek.
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