Yoox Net-A-Porter dives deep into Cyber Weekend with special events

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 23, 2017

Yoox Net-A-Porter is taking a deep dive into Holiday season shopping this year with a particular focus on Cyber Weekend. And, like many stores, has kept its announcement fairly late, a sensible move given that analysts have said those who showed their hands too early last year, risked their customers holding off from buying from them in anticipation of deals ahead.

Not that deals will be the focus for YNAP. Instead, it’s working on special events and unique products and services that will be extra inducements for consumers to spend.

The company said it expects self-gifting to be a sales driver over the Friday-through-Monday ‘weekend’ with orders predicted to peak at one every two seconds over the four days.

On the high-end Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter sites, special gift products will include a Fantasy Gifts section featuring its Shoe of the Week and Handbag of the Month subscriptions, and the ‘It Girl Wardrobe’. This is described as “a one-of-a-kind opportunity to have Retail Fashion Director Lisa Aiken conduct a private consultation and create the dream closet.”

When it comes to what people will be buying more generally, the company said that “Hard Luxury, particularly diamonds” should be key for female customers, and fine watches for male customers, with those categories currently “gaining serious momentum and set to continue.” 

It’s also expecting strong sales for currently popular categories including demi-fine jewellery (in particular hoop earrings, pendant necklaces, and statement crystal embellished jewellery), plus ornate mules, kitten heels and embellished evening clutches. Meanwhile midi-dresses and statement ruffled blouses are some of the most popular clothing pieces and logo belts are popular accessories gifts.

On the customer front, YNAP is also ramping up its services for its highest-spending customers - the EIPs (Extremely Important People) - with a raft of exclusive seasonal events across key markets globally. This make good commercial sense given the spending power of these shoppers. For instance, Net-A-Porter recently sold a £58,000 necklace via its EIP preview, which offers priority access to new products for those customers. 

In the UK, where customers start their festive shopping earlier than in any other country, Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter will host an invitation-only two-day pop-up Gift Shop experience in London for them. This will showcase curated gift ideas and key pieces “from the hottest designers,” followed by a party for VIPs, celebrities and Social Influencers. There will also be Party with the Porters’ shopping events for EIPs in Hong Kong and New York.

Meanwhile YNAP’s outlet e-tailers, Outnet and Yoox are also heavily involved in Cyber Weekend. Outnet is hosting events in multiple markets including the UK, US, France, Germany, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, showcasing its curated gift selection, as well as offering dressing tips for the festive season.

And Yoox has launched a new video marketing campaign as well as offering a blend of design and fashion with a large selection of furniture and homeware from designers including Fornasetti, Established & Sons, Richard Ginori, and Cassina.
 
 With orders expected to peak this weekend, the company is scaling up capacity at its eight distribution centres.