ONline:

PRADA 24/7

Need a Prada fix @ 2:00AM?  No problem starting July 1st, 2010 when the prada.com website expands its distribution network by launching the e-store in the Continental United States as well as Alaska & Puerto Rico. The region has long been strategic for the brand’s development & image, but until now, Prada’s web presence has always been content driven.  The site was a conduit of Prada’s message to the digital visitor.  The visitor was then directed to one of the brand’s boutiques for actual purchase decisions to be made.

The new section of the site dedicated to the e-store displays the Prada world with a focus on leather goods collections for women & men as well as eyewear.  The e-store features a large sales area in which users are able to live out a brand experience that includes interactivity that allows the visitor to experience a combination of different components including content, services & commerce  –  the user becomes an active player within the domain of the brand & its products.

Once a selection is made, the customer can take advantage of a host of other services including an e-gifting option where the gift will be delivered to the recipient complete with a personalized card. 

The world of Prada is more than just one of shopping & fashion.  The company supports & sponsors a host of events ranging from athletics to the charitable to the artistic & the site introduces the company’s current related endeavors as part of the overall experience.  Current initiatives include the on-line charity auction of one of a kind prototype pieces, the ‘Trembled Blossoms’ & ‘Fallen Shadows’ original animations by director James Lima as well as the music contest related to it, & the nine short movie projects produced by nine young directors.

When asked why the decision was made to incorporate the company’s culture, if you will, into the shopping experience when so many companies segregate the corporate information from the shopping aspects of their sites, the response is direct & concise:

“This is a strategic choice that emphasizes Prada’s pragmatic approach to the web, which encourages living with it as an everyday instrument.”

For their fanatics in Japan, lament no more, as Prada will shortly expand their e-store service to your shores.  Until then, you’ll have to make it to one of the company’s brick & mortar locations that currently number 185 worldwide.

www.prada.com

-Scott French