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The online shopping trend has long been in full swing in South Africa, while the Covid Pandemic challenged retail brands to up their eCommerce game to cater to the country’s growing appetite for home-based shopping. But some retailers have truly excelled in pushing their innovations further and faster than others.
One of these is leading furniture and lifestyle brand, Cielo, which recently launched a brand new integrated online platform to better connect with their customers.
With a future-forward eCommerce approach combining cutting edge technology and a seamless online experience, Cielo is changing the game for furniture shoppers, making it easier than ever for customers to find and purchase the perfect pieces for their homes. In turn, Cielo is raising the bar for other home and lifestyle brands who want to compete on the global eCommerce stage.
Cielo’s Head of Product and Brand Development, Andrew Jute, shares some of the strategy and specifics behind the brand’s new and improved online platform.
“It's crucial for us to bridge the gap between the customer and the product, so that’s been our main focus with our online innovations. Our updated website has been designed to offer a more immersive experience, employing the latest technology from google to deliver top-quality visuals without slowing down the site.”
The website has also been optimised for responsiveness, meaning it detects whether the user is browsing on their phone, tablet, or laptop, and adapts how the content is displayed for the most optimal user experience. The site also ensures easier navigation and filtering so users can find products more efficiently.
“A standout feature we've introduced is what I call “colour hover,” which lets users view multiple designs in their preferred colour, making it easy to compare options,” Jute shares.
Cielo is also keenly aware that security and data protection is a major factor for shoppers when it comes to making purchases online.
“Security was one of the main upgrades we implemented in our revamped platform,” says Jute.
Creating a cutting-edge virtual shopping experience was one of Cielo’s biggest focus areas for 2023. The brand partnered with 3D Virtual Africa to have 9 of their leading physical stores recreated in a seamless virtual 3D environment.
As Jute explains, “It makes the online experience feel almost like you’re shopping in the physical store but with the added ability to see detailed product info, and add items to your virtual cart, with online checkout. This allows our customers to virtually ‘walk’ through our stores from the comfort of home, giving them a chance to explore other branches and a more diverse range of furniture offerings that might not be available in the stores close to them.”
As Cielo continues to roll out more physical and 3D stores nationwide, this will also have the added benefit of allowing customers in regions without a physical store to shop and experience Cielo’s unique products, styled and paired with offerings from other stores.
The brand will close 2023 with 12 nationwide stores, with the two latest additions launched in Centurion and De Waterkant in Cape Town during August, and a new larger store planned for Pretoria’s Brooklyn Square mall towards the end of September.
Cielo was already the proud winner of an Assegai Award in 2019 for the best e-commerce experience. Provisioned by the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA), the Assegai Awards recognise best-in-class Integrated Marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results.
With their new cutting edge integrated online platform and many more developments in the works, Cielo is confident of more awards on the horizon.
“Of course, it’s not about winning awards,” says Jute. “Our key focus will always be delivering a better shopping experience for our customers. It’s our mission to connect more people with beautiful, quality furniture and décor that continues to inspire spaces throughout South Africa and beyond.”
Visit Cielo’s ground-breaking virtual 3D stores and immersive online shopping platform to see and experience it for yourself.
This post and content is sponsored, written and produced by Cielo.
