How To Modernise Your Legacy/Luxury Brands with Innovative Websites
Lancôme was in trouble a few years ago due to its brand positioning.
The French skincare and makeup brand has always been a luxury product, but soon other independent beauty brands were overshadowing it. This was because Lancôme was still holding onto its mainstay branding strategies from 1935 and wasn’t keeping up with the Millennial and Gen Z shoppers.
This changed in 2019 onwards, when Lancôme named Kris Wu and Emma Chamberlain as brand ambassadors. Soon, Millennial and Gen Z shoppers started connecting with the brand. But their website is playing the most important role in this matter. As you open Lancôme’s website, there is a ‘services’ section offering trendy digital initiatives by the brand, such as;
- Makeup virtual try-on
- E-shade finder
- E-skin expert
- Beauty tips and inspiration.
What was it that persuaded Lancôme to modernise its website, and hence, legacy brand positioning?
Lancôme wanted to engage the next generation. But on their own terms. Therefore, they acquired the art of balancing their luxury offerings with modern innovation to attract digital natives.
Just like Lancôme, many luxury brands wear their legacy on their sleeves.
If you’re a luxury brand owner, you’re likely aware that modernisation for your legacy brand isn’t about discarding your heritage; it’s about updating your brand identity to meet the demands of the digital era.
This blog will guide you step-by-step on how to achieve that perfect luxury website, which is both innovative and pays tribute to your legacy brand.
In this blog, you will learn how to;
- Blend old and new on your legacy brand’s website.
- Recognise that legacy brand modernisation is about evolving, not rebelling.
- Understand that innovative websites are the foundations of digital transformation.
Modernising Legacy Brands Through Innovative Websites
“I remember the day when we first considered modernising our website. It was scary, to be honest, taking apart the whole thing. But the web designers assured us that it was necessary for the brand innovation, and hence, for the survival in a competitive market.” – A luxury brand owner told us.
Legacy brand modernisation is the process of replacing outdated websites with the latest digital trends and technologies. Even the most established luxury brands are updating their digital footprint with supercharged websites by including the following transformations;
- Sleek, intuitive designs.
- Modern UX/UI elements.
- Aesthetic quality and contemporary functionality.
Legacy brands have a rich history and a loyal clientele who trust their name. This is why many brands believe that incorporating fast-forward technologies, such as mobile-first experiences and augmented-reality shopping tools, will thin out their luxury aura and heritage.
However, modernising your website doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on your brand’s values and aesthetics. Here are 14 ways in which you can modernise your legacy/luxury brands with innovative websites.
1. Blend Tradition with Innovation
Polaroid changed the way we take photographs. Even when iPhones and drone cameras are everywhere, these instant cameras have still stood their ground since 1948.
Polaroid is a beautiful example of how a legacy brand has balanced itself on innovation and digital technology to remain relevant.
Do you know what Polaroid is mostly known for?
Visual storytelling
This is what forms the backbone of their identity.
Yet, Polaroid must translate their heritage into the latest web design and development strategies, which they carefully achieve through this translates to a harmonious blend of classic aesthetics and innovative features. Take inspiration from, for example, where the iconic look is preserved through interactive galleries, smooth parallax scrolling, and immersive virtual tours.
Carefully curated imagery and typography are also embedded in modern coding practices—HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript frameworks—to create dynamic digital experiences that touch the souls of loyal customers and also inspire new, young audiences.
2. Data-Driven, Not Desperation-Driven Strategy
Many brand owners make the mistake of making hasty decisions as soon as they realise their website is outdated. Maybe it’s the low conversion rates. Maybe it is the loss of a long-standing partnership.
But you should know that modernisation of your legacy brand is a slow and gradual process. It is dependent on thorough market research and customer surveys.
Legacy brands must smartly use analytics to shape an innovative website strategy. We call it ‘data-first approach.’ In ‘data-first approach,’ we continuously test and adapt your website to make sure that its transformation is organic, relevant, and sustainable.
Ultimately, we deliver modern luxury websites that respect your legacy brand, reunite old customers, and attract new users as well.
For example, Lego rediscovered popular themes in order to meet emerging trends, but in the process, it also reconnected with its existing clientele.
3. Aligning Your Brand with A Digital-First Approach
Adopting a digital-first mindset is very important for legacy brands. Web design and development strategies, such as cutting-edge UX/UI elements, is the first thing that will help you emerge as a modern legacy brand.
The second thing is mobile-first, responsive experiences.
4 out of 5 shoppers, according to McKinsey, will make decisions about products or brands online. And it doesn’t depend on where they finalise their transactions.
Many brand owners do not trust the fresh perspectives of web designers and developers who want to present their legacy brand online using a digital-first approach. These are the brands that fail to utilise multiple digital touchpoints and miss out on a big chunk of the audience that practically lives in the digital world (especially Gen Z customers.)
By putting digital at the core, you can still honour your legacy brand while connecting with Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
A website that is built on such an innovative strategy, such as interactive storytelling and personalised customer experiences, is the one that enjoys the highest percentage of conversion rates.
4. Meet Your Modern Customers Halfway
Legacy brand modernisation is a process in which you meet their customers where they actually are. The luxury consumers of today aren’t like what they were in the past – sipping coffee in fancy golf club restaurants or spending their time in luxury couture houses.
Do you know that digital experiences account for more than 15% of generated revenues via eCommerce?
Most luxury consumers of today are using multiple channels – which is why your website must be built with an omnichannel retail mindset.
You must always deliver a responsive experience through your website, no matter if a user is accessing it via desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Omnichannel retail is a strategy that blends online and physical store experience, as well as mobile apps and other sales channels to offer a unified shopping experience.
And while your customers are hopping from channel to channel, offer them a consistent shopping experience while maintaining legacy of your brand, just like Claire’s has adopted animations and intuitive navigation menus to ensure every touchpoint offers continuity to their customers.
5. Embrace the Next Generation
Embracing the next generation works for legacy brands because unifying customers from different age groups yields valuable insights for their branding strategies.
Sustainable practices most effectively connect with younger generations, even though today’s Gen Z and Millennial consumers expect interactivity and personalisation with websites.
Climate Positive Web development allows you to meet these expectations: from hosting websites on renewable energy to funding carbon removal projects, you can use modern front-end technologies and development practices to create a website that feels both cutting-edge and earns respect among your modern luxury consumers.
You can also incorporate social media integrations and influencer-driven content to modernise your legacy websites.
6. Accept Future-Forward Design
Legacy brands often struggle with playing catch up with modern brands. While others are propelled by forward-thinking design principles, legacy brands sometimes hold on to their original principles. It is time that legacy brands start accepting future-forward designs.
Look at Tesla’s website!
It looks as futuristic as the vehicles themselves.
Seek, intuitive interface – that not only looks impressive but also operates with smooth transition – is a prime example of future-forward web design. In the context of legacy brands, this means that accepting modern technologies, like responsive frameworks, virtual or augmented reality, and micro-interactions, is the way forward.
So, if a legacy brand wants to modernise its website, it should utilise dynamic content, interactive product demos, immersive visual experiences, and precise text, to prove that it is an innovator – not a late adopter – in the market.
7. Go Digital in More Than One Ways
For legacy brands looking to modernise via innovative websites, eye-catching visuals, and immersive digital experiences are not enough. There are other things too that’ll speak in favour of your premium quality products and services.
Reproduce examples like The Guardian, the world’s leading news organisation, which survived the digital onslaught on its print media. The Guardian modernised its legacy via a website and mobile application, which continues to be innovative as time changes.
But also, be like Nike, which has always been at the top of social media strategies and brand campaigns.
Nike always takes care of two things – customer awareness and customer experience.
For example, Nike partnered with Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, to forge a way forward in the digital and fashion world. Nike knew how to reach its target audience, and hence, the 22-year-old content creator, who participated in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, became the reason the legacy brand reached hundreds of thousands of his subscribers.
8. Tell a Compelling Brand Story
Stanley had always been a mundane water bottle designed for outdoorsmen and workmen.
But everything changed in 2016, when Stanley reemerged as a Quencher brand of tumblers, designed for women and sold by women.
Stanley no longer told its story through the eyes of an architect who wanted a sturdy vessel to quench his thirst. Rather, the legacy brand opted for a more feminine positioning. Now, women doing yoga, college students working in cafes, and fashionable best friends are seen holding their Stanley Cups everywhere.
A powerful narrative is at the heart of legacy brands’ positioning. And their websites must translate their heritage into an engaging digital story. This can be done using elements like images and text that come to life, social media testimonials, interactive timelines, etc.
An advanced digital platform, such as an innovative website or a robust social media presence, is very useful in showcasing your brand’s storied past and to connect, emotionally, with modern audiences.
9. Invest in Unique Customisation
Many legacy brands are absolutely crushing it by adopting modern digital customisations that go beyond templated websites.
Iconic brand, Volkswagen, has set itself apart by employing personalised digital services that also reinforce its identity as a legacy brand. The brand employed experienced designers and developers to create custom digital services, WePark for integrated billing and parking, WeDeliver for parcel deliveries, and WeExperince for personalised offers.
Volkswagen didn’t lag behind modern car brands like Tesla. With unique digital customisation, the brand elevated its status as an innovator in the luxury market. Volkswagen integrated its legacy cars into the day-to-day lifestyle of its consumers with seamless and convenient digital solutions that worked on all devices.
10. Connect Emotionally with Customers
Modernising a legacy brand is more than just updating technology.
You must forge a deep and emotional connection with your audience through every digital interaction. Websites that integrate interactive design elements, personalised content, and engaging storytelling are powerful tools to bring a brand’s heritage to life.
If you have a legacy brand and you want to modernise it through an innovative and updated website, add features like social media customer feedback, interactive product showcases, and other modern web development tools.
Your digital space must feel intimate and genuine to a customer. Think of how Cadbury always has a story to tell, and their latest ‘Made to Share’ packaging focuses on deeper emotions to create a rich customer experience. And they create this meaningful connection with their audience via their website as well as advertising messages and strategies.
11. Make Your Website as Luxurious as Your Products
Finally, true legacy brand modernisation is demonstrated through a website that is as opulent as the physical products they represent.
Let’s take some inspiration from sites like Nicole Louise Couture Events, the luxury wedding event planners who integrate high-definition video backgrounds, elegant typography and colour palettes, and storytelling elements that show – and not just tell – how serious they are about their legacy.
Levi’s is another example of a legacy brand that is still relevant today. The brand uses behind-the-scenes content and influencer marketing on its website, all designed using the latest web development techniques.
Levi’s is also one of the first legacy brands to use the “Shop Now” buttons on TikTok to generate high engagement and traffic on their website. This commitment shows that the brand doesn’t shy away from adopting a fully immersive digital experience, which is the first step towards a complete legacy brand’s digital transformation.