On Nov. 6, 2008, the day after clothing and accessories maker Lilly Pulitzer kicked off its Jubilee year celebration of 50 years in business, the company launched its online store, LillyPulitzer.com. The site has has experienced a year of month-on-month double-digit online sales growth, according to the company. The company declined to provide specific figures.
“We've been thrilled with the developments on the Lilly Pulitzer web site,” says Michelle Kelly, director of e-commerce,. “Features like the Colorful Life blog and the Lilly Loves Green section offer an opportunity to communicate the Lilly lifestyle to our customers.”
Lilly Pulitzer, known for its upscale clothing line of brightly colored apparel and accessories, was late in coming to e-commerce out of concern for channel conflict with department stores, with 75 independently owned Via Shops that sells Lilly Pulitzer merchandise, and with its own 22 stores, the company says.
After deciding that e-commerce would help strengthen its brand and improve overall sales, the company developed the web store in six months with Venda Inc.’s software-as-a-service platform.
On its site, the company incorporates cross-channel elements. For example, if an item is out of stock online, a shopper can click on a Let Lilly Find It button on product pages that triggers a search of the item at stores and Via Shops. If the shops carry the item, store employees can e-mail the customer and the purchases are made directly with that store.
In addition, the company is actively involved with social networks such as Twitter and Facebook where it has amassed 35,000 fans. On the networks, the company offers giveaways, encourages customers to post pictures and frequently provides updates of behind-the-scenes information for its legion of loyal fans.
“I love the way they’ve integrated social elements into their site. Lilly’s customers just love the brand and the e-commerce team has done a great job of introducing content that is relevant and interesting to their fans,” says Jeff Max, Venda president.
In the coming year, Lilly Pulitzer plans to add more content, including multiple address selections in a single checkout, and recommendations tools.
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