Uniform Wares, the luxury British watchmaker, has launched a new global e-commerce platform via the creative technology partnership between Collective London (the digital creative agency for Hyundai, B&Q and BBC) and Priocept (the technology consultancy of choice for GlaxoSmithKline, Panasonic and Virgin Mobile).
After four years building a devoted customer base and gaining critical acclaim for precise, minimalist watches, Uniform Wares evolved into a luxury brand and restructured operations accordingly, with design and assembly continuing in London but manufacture moving to Switzerland.
The brand needed to account for these changes by developing a new website to communicate its luxury brand credentials, plus an e-commerce and order management system capable of spanning international markets.
Because Uniform Wares does not have dedicated stores, Collective‘s web design mimics the in-store watch buying experience by allowing customers to pour over every detail and facet, providing the same sense of immersion as in-store but without the tactile experience.
The site consequently focuses on showcasing products in beautiful fidelity by mirroring Uniform Wares‘ immediately recognisable aesthetic, whilst also highlighting the craft and devotion that goes into every watch.
To ensure the site functioned as well as it looked, Priocept decided to build the site using the Demandware e-commerce platform as way of helping the brand its secure global ambitions.
Demandware is an e-commerce cloud platform that helps businesses develop multichannel retail operations. Uniform Ware‘s new site uses the platform to ensure rapid scaling up, when required, to meet increased traffic and sales.
The platform, which is used by the some of the world‘s largest retailers, was chosen by Priocept after a comprehensive vendor selection process and Uniform Ware‘s use is one of the first cases of a niche luxury brand investing in an enterprise cloud e-commerce system.
The Collective + Priocept creative technology partnership was appointed by Uniform Wares in May 2014 following a competitive agency selection process. Development on the new site was completed within just three months.
Uniform Ware‘s Founder and Creative Director, Patrick Bek, said: “Collective and Priocept have worked tirelessly to deliver a site and e-commerce platform that is beautifully crafted but also thoroughly robust. Without their input, we would not be able to confidently extend our brand into more overseas markets.”
Collective‘s Co-Founder and Creative Director, Adam Cleaver, said: “Uniform Wares is a fantastic brand to design for because it has such strong aesthetic values. The new website reflects these values whilst also recreating online the incredibly personal and immersive experiences of physically shopping for a luxury item.”
Greg Murray, Priocept‘s Co-founder and Client Services Director, said:
“We‘re proud to be able to give such a strong British brand a global presence. By developing a new website for them based on the continually evolving Demandware platform, we have created an efficient, user-friendly and future-proof online business that is free from the limitations that come with bespoke implementations and infrastructure. We‘re also very proud of successfully building and launching this ambitious site within three months.”
