Chanel learns e-commerce from Zara

On the Chanel website, the current Coco Beach collection can already be examined in detail, but something else caught my attention.

The brand is using an online technique that originated in the mass market — where, unlike luxury, there is a strong focus on e-commerce and the development of highly effective, conversion-driven tools.

Chanel is using a layout actively employed by brands within the Inditex group. This is a presentation across three dimensions:

1) Campaign — a space for elevated editorial-level interpretation. A visual pleasure for my eyes: Chanel has deliberately contrasted and elevated its vibrant, print-heavy offering against the black sands of volcanic beaches.

• Goal — to set a clear emotional tone and create immediate desirability, anchoring the collection in a strong, memorable visual context.

2) Lookbook — a calmer shoot with what I call commercial styling. Relaxed, effortless poses, styling where the focus remains on the full look. The background is present but controlled, never distracting. At Chanel, clicking on a look reveals a breakdown into individual items — still inconvenient, I continue to repeat this, but it functions as a more accessible display. The idea is great to use within weak catalogue structure many brands offer which I often point out. 

• Goal — to reduce cognitive load for the client, translating runway into wearable context, and guiding interpretation without breaking the aspirational image.

3) Products — a tab with the items by category. Notably, if in previous seasons Chanel relied on dated product imagery (very 90s, and not in a good way), Coco Beach shows a gradual shift towards a cleaner, more contemporary and commercially effective presentation.

• Goal — to support conversion directly: clarity, comparability, and ease of navigation at the point of purchase.

A similar structure has been attempted season after season by Saint Laurent — but it remains fundamentally flawed. You cannot simply browse products, and engaging with the collection requires additional effort (I often find myself closing the tab).

Chanel is moving in the right direction, but still not fully committing to the level of clarity that hashtag e-commerce demands.