Brandon Blackwood
Luxury Handbag Designer, Brandon Blackwood, turns to Avex for Shopify Plus development and user-experience redesign
SERVICES
- Shopify Plus Development
- Klaviyo Email Marketing
- UX/UI Design
The Challenge
After trademarking his name and launching his handbag collection in 2015, NYC designer, Brandon Blackwood set off to build a luxury handbag empire known for timeless silhouettes, high-quality detailing and unparalleled materials. While Brandon Blackwood has received attention and praise from celebrities and major publications alike ever since it launched, the user experience and conversion on its eCommerce storefront were not living up to the brand's standards.
Brandon Blackwood approached Avex at a high-growth brand moment that was restricted within a predefined tech stack and visual merchandising capabilities. Avex was tasked with finding opportunities for optimization and innovation across the brand’s online presence on Shopify Plus.
SAAS INTEGRATIONS
- Shopify Plus
- Klaviyo API
- Shopify Flow
The Approach
Avex deployed its UX designers, strategists, tech and project management teams to create an experience that accentuates creativity and utility. We put Brandon Blackwood’s audience at the heart of a seamless and improved online experience all while immersing them in resonant storytelling across several touchpoints.
Improved category organization and customer journey, along with the simplified UX/CX and brand integration, were a few of our main areas of focus in this project. From there, redesigning and developing a digital home base for the brand to build long-lasting connections with its audience.
A Website for the Era
The team at Avex reimagined Brandon Blackwood’s Shopify Plus storefront to serve as a hub for elevated design and an easy-to-navigate catalog. We were bound to meet consumers’ expectations with an adhesive digital style guide, UX principles, and a homogenous brand narrative. Each touchpoint from the visual shop-by-category section to the localized checkout and “coming soon” product states was created with the contemporary consumer in mind.
UX/CX Design Inspired by the Product
Working with the brand’s distinctive palette of subtle colors, designs and textures, our UX/CX designers pulled inspiration from Brandon Blackwood’s coveted style with lightweight typography and subtle design elements that elevate the look and feel of the website and draw attention to the products and touchpoints that matter the most - new releases, shipping & return, FAQ, product care and “Bag Thoughts”.
Sensible Brand Integration
From its inception, the namesake brand, Brandon Blackwood, found prosperity through the cultivation of connections with customers and has found success designing accessories that exemplify a marriage of classic and current sensibility. This exemplification acted as our foundation in creating a paramount design system that not only serves as a shopping platform but also as a brand initiative. We highlighted brand content sections, looped in a Wishlist solution encouraging customer engagement, and increased brand presence with a dedicated About page.
Navigating Through the Full Scope of Consumers’ Journey
From consumers’ initial interaction with the brand to finding exactly what they’re looking for, we incorporated modern navigation systems that prioritize the overall redesigns’ goal for product discovery and purpose-led storytelling. We improved product filtering on PLPs and engineered a new PDP template that enables future category expansion into Ready-to-wear and footwear as the brand continues to create luxury that is meant to be lived in.
Coupling Appeal and Functionality
With over 300 live products, it was crucial for us to run an extensive product architecture review to avoid disruption during the upload of new content and variants. We also leveraged APIs such as Klaviyo and optimized app selections like Wishlist to integrate wishlists and product wait lists seamlessly into the shopping experience while steering clear of clogging up the backend.
The Relationship
As Blackwood continues to nurture and expand upon his label’s growth, a step forward in the online space called for partnering up with an agency that’s committed to turning business problems into business value. Brandon Blackwood’s project prospered at the intersection of clarity and curiosity and its success was heavily influenced by the merchant’s and agency’s mutual belief that culture is where it all starts.
Let’s work together
Tell us your business goals and we’ll see how we can create something amazing together.