Going back to its roots and original 60s spirit, French luxury retailer, L’Occitane En Provence, is launching a brand-new holiday virtual store, developed by Emperia, and designed in partnership with world-renowned artist Steven Wilson.

Set up in a cosy chalet within the Provençal French Alps, the virtual experience reflects the brand’s focus on the joy of giving and sharing, bringing about the spirit of gifting, allowing guests to discover its limited-edition holiday ranges, alongside a learning journey into L'Occitane’s recycling initiatives, said a statement.

Packed with user interactivity and product discovery, the experience’s layout allows for easy exploration of gift finding, with products being conveniently distributed by budget, with five distinct yet cohesive product areas: advent calendar, holidays limited edition collection, gift sets, fragrances, and Santa’s wish list.

In true holiday spirit, the experience teaches guests about the art of gift wrapping. Scattered around the space, guests will find gift wrapping elements; as they locate each item, they are presented with different personalization options (i.e., tissue paper, box patterns, etc.). Upon completion of the mini game, an animation shows the guest their customised box, rewarding them with a special L’Occitane Christmas reward.

The holiday collection designs have been created in partnership with Steven Wilson, a UK-based artist whose illustrations are meant to reflect joy, with retro yet contemporary design. Wilson has previously worked with major brands including Nike, The Oscars, Virgin, MTV, and others.

Stepping outdoors, each guest is greeted by a true magical Christmas experience, with an Olive tree that guests can light up themselves. The Provencal Christmas tree, a millenary tree symbolising joy, strength and togetherness is also the spot where guests get to create their own personalised postcard, containing their curated product wish list, to send to their loved ones.

Mariana Rodrigues, Marketing Director of L’Occitane Middle East, said: “We're incredibly proud of this virtual experience that immerses our customers in the enchanting holiday spirit. It's a dream journey, like being in a chalet, where they can explore the true origins of L'Occitane as a brand.

“The olive tree is symbolic and traditional for Provence, so our vision was to bring back those traditions to our customers. The holiday season is pure magic, and we want our customers to experience the enchantment of L'Occitane and Provence”.

The Emperia platform has been powering the creation of virtual stores for some of the world’s leading brands, developing virtual experiences that are data-driven and designed to elevate the online retail experience, by placing personalisation and brand storytelling at the centre of online shopping.

“L’Occitane’s new holiday experience adds a new dimension to the already-growing segment of seasonal online shopping. Nowadays users are demanding more from their online retail experience, expecting a far more personalized and interactive journey, one that reflects the brand’s values and elevates the shopping experience, to adhere to their own set of needs, wants and preferences,” said Olga Dogadkina, co-founder and CEO at Emperia.

“Virtual stores are no longer this one-of campaign but rather fill this great need of a new generation of shoppers to get to know their retailer on a personal level and what it stands for, significantly improving brand loyalty and improving brands’ online performance.” TradeArabia News Service