Fashion label Calvin Klein has initiated a global ecommerce expansion strategy, for which mobile and social will play significant roles in providing a seamless customer experience.

The fashion label is seeing increasing traffic and sales volumes via mobile, prompting a redesign. Closing in on customization, the new site aims to best accommodate the customer through their journey while exemplifying the brand’s image.

“This launch is impactful in both its geographic scale and level of customization,” said Steve Shiffman, chief executive officer at Calvin Klein. “It reflects our commitment to reinforce the Calvin Klein brand identity across the globe, while also creating a personalized shopping experience within each individual market.”

Making a change
The ecommerce expansion will take affect in more than 20 countries by the end of 2016.

Each individual Web site will be customized by its own market but will share a consistent appearance. Customization will take affect to meet customer preferences and needs for each market. The company’s initial rollout in the United States will serve as the anchor for the launch of sites throughout Europe and North and South America, and it will continue across Asia.

The fashion label hopes to provide a premium brand and shopping experience worldwide. Sites will launch both on desktop and mobile with social media integration.

Mobile traffic to Calvinklein.com (U.S.) has been steadily increasing between 40 and 50 percent year over year. From Nov. 26 to Dec. 30 this year, mobile traffic to Calvinklein.com (U.S.) comprised 40 percent of traffic and 20 percent of sales.

In the three months that Calvin Klein has had a presence on Tmall.com in China, more than half of traffic has been from mobile; 50 percent of sales have also been via mobile.

All global ecommerce sites will feature an assortment of company product, along with licensed categories, across men’s and women’s Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear with regional offerings of Calvin Klein fragrances, apparel and accessories, Performance, Home, and children’s products in available markets.

Building on the company’s integration of content and commerce, the “show yours. #mycalvins” global social media campaign will be visible across the sites via user-generated photo galleries, featuring fans of the brand showcasing the iconic waistband of their Calvin Klein Underwear.

Sites are now live in 14 European markets, as well as Brazil. Launches across Europe include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Expansion will continue globally via the implementation of direct ecommerce sites across Asian markets beginning in 2015 and rolling out over the next two years.

Previous efforts
Earlier this year, Calvin Klein celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Eternity fragrance with a global philanthropic initiative titled the #EternityProject.

The #EternityProject, a global philanthropic initiative in support of the Every Mother Counts organization, was launched to build awareness for maternal health. Proceeds made from the campaign’s anniversary boutique went toward the organization, which asked the public to “take two minutes” to make a difference by donating and sharing (see story).

In 2013, Calvin Klein, Twentieth Century Fox and Turner Broadcasting were a few of the launch brands that tested a new mobile ad format from Tumblr that inserted a piece of ad content within popular and trending posts.

As more social media usage was taking place via mobile, Tumblr wanted to follow in Twitter and Facebook’s footsteps and cash in on brands looking to promote their content through native ads that appeared as a piece of content. Despite the opportunities with native ads, Tumblr faced challenges around content regulations and guaranteeing that the ads were not seen as obtrusive (see story).

“Through meticulous consideration of consumer behavior, user experience and regional merchandising, we have positioned our ecommerce sites to serve as the focal point of the consumer’s interaction with the brand, all while maintaining the integrity of a universal message and aesthetic,” Mr. Shiffman said.

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York