Valentino upgrades its digital presence

The luxury brand is about to embark on the “next era” of its omnichannel shopping experience.



Extending its long-time partnership with Yoox Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP), Valentino is upgrading its omnichannel platform, a move that will give customers access to its extensive product assortment, in-store mobile features, and faster delivery through fulfillment from Valentino boutiques.



YNAP has powered Valentino’s e-commerce site since 2008. However, the new platform, called Next Era, features new functionality that is mission-critical for omnichannel success. Besides completely revamping valentino.com, the platform features an integrated order management system YNAP created in partnership with IBM. This allows customers to see what is available in-store and online, from wherever they are browsing.



This functionality also offers Valentino a single view of its inventory and a comprehensive profile of its customer base. Armed with this data, the retailer now enables shoppers to order online and pick up or return their items in store, streamlining fulfillment.



The platform also gives customers access to inventory available in Valentino’s boutiques and logistics centers, as well as merchandise in YNAP's global network of eight fulfillment centers stretching from New York and Dubai to Milan and Shanghai. In the future, brand-owned and YNAP-purchased inventory could be viewed across the same system, increasing the opportunities to sell full-price by selling inventory from either the brand or YNAP across each other's stores, YNAP said.



The new platform also supports a mobile-centric interface, enabling shoppers to checkout via mobile device, browse merchandise and get product recommendations, and connect directly with a store-level associ-ate.



The platform also features new functionality powered by artificial intelligence, such as on-site personalization and contextual search — two capabilities that enable customers to use natural language to interact with the digital store.



Next Era will launch in will launch in early-2018, YNAP reported.