Take a look at Temperley London’s facebook page , click on the ‘Store’ tab and you’ll see a page that acts as a shop front to the Temperley online shop – directly from Facebook.

Of course, Temperley aren’t the first brand to embrace this idea (brands have been using FBML (Facebook Markup Language) in Facebook to modify pages for a while now). However, what’s so clever about the Temperley Store page is that website and social media administrators at Temperley do not need any knowledge of HTML or FBML in order to modify the page.

In fact, this page is created and controlled entirely through their CMS. So, if they wanted to change their hero product, layout of the page or link through to a specific product instead of to category pages, they could do this quickly and easily in house.

Although it seems as though Facebook will be launching a payment platform very soon, this is currently not available and (for many reasons) may not be right for them in the future anyway. So, for Temperley London, this method of directing Facebook users straight to purchase on the website is  a perfect way of monetizing their page quickly and efficiently.

Earlier this week we wrote a post on 5 of the best WordPress plugins. Just so you know, WordPress is a blog publishing application and content management system – and we love it! So, when our friends at Tank came to talk to us about their new digital fashion magazine built entirely in WordPress, we couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

If you’ve not seen Because yet, either online or in NMA’s site inspection feature, go check it out. It’s a digital magazine which offers the very best in fashion, accessories, beauty, jewellery and culture and has been quoted by NMA as being “high-end fashion pornography… Because magazine is a beautiful fashion and culture click-to-buy site”.

So, how was it created? Well, the entire site was implemented in WordPress and modified using a wide range of plugins. However, because they came to us with a set of specific needs, some extra modification was required. All user account creation and management functionality was skinned from the front end – which includes the login, registration, and profile pages. Logged in users can also save their favourite items to a personal wishlist so that they can go back to lust over their favourite items again and again!

Upon launch, the new eCommerce website for Temperley London, the British designer label synonymous with timeless glamour, exquisite craftsmanship and collections desired by women the all over the world, was received by a number of fabulous reviews from the online fashion world;

“Plenty of sartorial surprise in store… get ready for the virtual stampede” (Vogue)

But first, let’s take a closer look at how this was achieved…

Objectives:

Firstly, a unique online destination shop had to be created, entirely different to other fashion and luxury brand websites. Secondly, best practice eCommerce functionality had to be seamlessly integrated into the Temperley brand experience. Thirdly, the customer journey had to reflect Alice Temperley’s aesthetic and the distinct style of the stores in London, Los Angeles and New York.

How we achieved them:

Within the new website, all items are displayed using an unconventional but intuitive carousel, designed with traditional rails in mind and far removed from the ‘grid’ layouts of many other online shops. Select a product from a collection/category and a wealth of content appears in scrapbook style including catwalk video, detail views, red carpet shots and design inspiration. All of this supporting media can be viewed in astonishing detail using a full-screen high-resolution product zoom, especially developed for this project.

Items can then be easily added to ‘My Rail’ without disrupting the browsing experience before either purchasing or saving for next time. A special section entitled “We Like” features Alice Temperley’s vacation photos, behind-the-scenes video footage, styling tips and music recommendations. Online visitors can also get a sneak preview of upcoming projects, see footage documenting the creative process behind the collections, and read updates and interviews which offers a unique insight into the world of Temperley.

The result:

Graphic Alliance has brought the world of Temperley to life on screen by re-creating a flash-style website using javascipt and HTML. The customer journey is unconventional yet intuitive; innovative horizontal navigation manages to maintain usability whilst maximising functionality. A huge amount of interactive content – all fully searchable and accessible by the search engines – accompanies each of the individual products and collections.

Stuart Bowler, Project Director at Graphic Alliance, said:

“the real innovation with this site is the way that all of the background supporting media, telling the brand story, has been directly associated with the products. With four collections, well over 100 runway looks, and over 600 SKUs, this has required some intense rewriting of the way eCommerce data works.”

Additional reviews:

“Browsing the new website almost compares to seeing the clothes in person, and that’s as good as it gets from your desk” (Teen Vogue)

“The latest (and very exciting) addition to the internet is here!” (Glamchic)

“The fashionista’s favourite” (Grazia)