Luxury fashion and cutting-edge e-commerce might seem worlds apart, but at Dorothee Schumacher, they go hand in hand. For nearly a decade, Daniel Buchberger has led the brand’s e-commerce strategy, blending sleek technology with customer-focused solutions.
In his role as Head of E-Commerce, he primarily focuses on the further development of the B2C and B2B shops in terms of UX/UI, SEO, personalization, and accessibility, as well as online marketing and customer loyalty. With creating flawless shopping experiences to drive sustainability and accessibility, Daniel’s insights offer a fresh perspective on what it takes to succeed in the industry.
In this interview, he shares the key trends shaping the industry, how Dorothee Schumacher stays future-ready, and the role of a collaboration with Optimizely in bringing it all together.
There is no shortage of trends and innovations in the e-commerce and fashion industry: Which innovations and developments is Dorothee Schumacher currently focusing on?
Daniel Buchberger: The trend towards integrating online and offline experiences is particularly fascinating for us right now. For example, this year we organized a major event for our customers to make the brand physically tangible. We wanted to show who works here, how we design and produce, and provide an authentic behind-the-scenes look. Such interactive experiences are becoming increasingly important to strengthen customer loyalty and create a holistic brand experience.
How do you deal with challenges such as customers’ desire for transparency and sustainability?
Buchberger: Both elements are deeply embedded in our values, which are anchored in our brand philosophy. Our common goal is to become the most responsible version of ourselves – seamless collaboration between all areas and interfaces of the company is therefore particularly important. This starts right at the beginning of the supply chain with the sourcing strategy, continues through raw material procurement, the selection of our suppliers and manufacturing facilities, and even extends to our headquarters in Mannheim with its own company garden. We greatly value our long-term and trustworthy relationship with our production partners – and we want to communicate with our customers in the same trustworthy manner. On our website and product detail pages, we transparently share our progress and answer any questions our customers may have.
Keyword: Website: What is important to you regarding the technology stack? What do you value?
Buchberger: Above all, our tech stack must be flexible and future-proof. It is important that we can adapt our front end and our business processes at any time in order to be able to react to the needs of the market and our customers. At the same time, we want to work efficiently with the various backend systems in the long term. We need to be able to adapt to the development of the brand without having to reinvent the entire system every time. In times of increasing cyberattacks, security is, of course, our top priority. The integration of third-party systems is also essential for us, as we pursue a strong omnichannel strategy. This allows us to efficiently link our online and offline channels and provide our customers with a consistent experience across all touchpoints.
Can you elaborate on the topic of omnichannel strategy?
Buchberger: Due to our various sales channels, such as retail stores, B2C and B2B commerce, as well as wholesale and outlet, our system landscape is correspondingly complex. The ability to sell across these channels and manage inventory is a key element of our omnichannel strategy. So, the concept of omnichannel is particularly important to us in terms of efficient inventory management. We want to ensure the availability of our products across all sales channels for our customers. This is especially important since we produce our products in selective quantities. This allows us not only to meet demand accurately but also to avoid overproduction.
What is the next step in the expansion of the website, what concrete plans do you have?
Buchberger: We are continuously developing our platform and deploy a new release approximately every two weeks. Currently, we are working on a new checkout process. It will be even more intuitive, with many interactive elements, making it incredibly easy for our customers to shop for their new favorite pieces. We are also intensively focusing on accessibility and are integrating all the necessary technical requirements in every area we are developing. Additionally, personalization is playing an increasingly important role for us. Whether in personal communication, our online store, or newsletters, we want to engage with our customers more individually and offer them a much more personalized shopping experience.
You are very active internationally. What measures are you focusing on here?
Buchberger: We will be making our individual country shops even more country specific in the future. We already have country-specific content, currencies, and shipping services integrated, and we also run different marketing campaigns tailored to each country. Additionally, we are of course increasing our presence in brick-and mortar retail in key markets, as this remains a very important touchpoint in our segment. Apart from that, we are focusing on targeted social media marketing campaigns, SEO, and, in particular, customer relationship marketing and offering a “frictionless shopping experience”.
The passion for blending innovation with meaningful customer experiences shines through in every aspect of Dorothee Schumacher’s e-commerce strategy. With a focus on sustainability, omnichannel solutions, and personalization, the brand continues to set new standards in luxury fashion. With the help of Optimizely, the brand also delivers a seamless shopping experience that customers love. Want to see how they make it all work?
Discover how Dorothee Schumacher uses Optimizely to create a seamless connection between editorial content and an intuitive shopping experience.
Check out the full case study here: https://www.optimizely.com/insights/dorothee-schumacher
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