When Kate Spade Saturday launched an interactive, design-your-own “weekender” bag last year, the retailer’s executives expected it would appeal to a relatively small segment of its customers, shoppers looking to create a custom bag.
Almost immediately, the response exceeded the brand’s expectations; weeks after the apparel and accessories retailer launched the tool the Design a Weekender page became the third-most visited page on its site.
The tool lets a shopper customize a bag with up to five different colors and patterns, as well as add a monogram to two different styles of bag. With each selection, the image of the bag changes dynamically. She can also select a Surprise Me button on the page, which combines a random selection of colors and patterns together. Shoppers can also scroll down the page to see a feed of images pulled from shoppers sharing photos on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #SaturdayWeekender, as well.
The customization feature garners the retailer attention via shoppers sharing their designs on social media, which has helped establish a distinct identity from sister brand, Kate Spade, No. 176 in the Internet Retailer 2014 Top 500 Guide, says Kristin Sebelle, Kate Spade Saturday’s e-commerce director. Kate Spade Saturday skews younger—its target demographic is women 25 to 35 years old—and is more in line with the relaxed feel of the weekend, she says.
“We like to celebrate Saturday the day,” she says. “This bag embodies that spirit.”
The retailer worked with design firm Precision Design Studios to develop its site.
Because of the retailer’s young customer base, many of whom navigate the web on iPads, the design firm took a mobile-first—specifically an iPad-first—strategy in creating the site. Pages are more narrow than on a typical web site, so that they don’t fill up the screen on a computer, but do on a tablet. They’re also designed for scrolling: as a shopper moves down the page, the page’s header follows her.
The goal, Sebelle says, is to keep the site simple to use, and fun.
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