Quiet Luxury Shapes the Future of E-commerce Personalization

Quiet luxury, a term synonymous with understated yet undeniably expensive pieces from brands like CELINE and Bottega Veneta , has emerged as one of the industry's trends du jour — "Less austere than minimalism but more polished than normcore," Vogue writes.

If you know, you know

Minimalist aesthetic, clean lines, and muted tones that exude sophistication and confidence, reminiscent of Shiv Roy's old-money aesthetic in HBO's Succession and Gwyneth Paltrow's understated yet luxurious style during her ski trial, immortalized as "billionaire chic" by The Guardian in the pages of 2024 pop-culture history.

From logomania to subtlety

It may seem to be a recent phenomenon, but quiet luxury relies on a clever business model that's been around for decades but became a big theme in the past couple of years, when designer houses deemed overt branding and flashy logos passé.

Robert Burke, chief executive of Robert Burke Associates , tells The Business of Fashion that today, people are attracted to luxury goods that will last longer than a seasonal trend: "The idea of buying disposable or flashy fashion at this particular moment doesn’t feel as right as it did a couple of years ago."

There's an economic dimension to the quiet luxury trend based on the state of economy and people's lifestyle. In the late ’90s, during the first dot-com boom, consumers were flush with cash, and logos were everywhere.

Later in 2007-2008, quiet luxury came to the center of the fashion scene, with CELINE and creative director Phoebe Philo at the top of the movement. Decades later, when COVID-19 hit, shoppers had newfound disposable income, and logos were everywhere again.

Today's ongoing economic uncertainty leads financially scrappy consumers back to a safer bet — investment pieces with a timeless style that that won’t look dated in five or ten years as trends come and go.

Quiet lux and consumer sentiment

Today, consumers are drawn to craftsmanship, understated elegance, and timeless pieces, delivered with subtle, refined marketing. In the meantime, Bain & Company forecasts 30% of all luxury sales will take place online by 2025.

Here's what's also interesting. Luxury isn’t just about owning something exquisite. It’s about owning a product or experience that feels like it was made just for you, and every interaction feels intentional. Like a restaurant whose staff knows your name and instinctively pours your favorite wine.

It's not merely an aesthetic shift — at the core of quiet luxury lies an unwavering focus on customer-centric, personalized experiences that redefine expectations in the future retail and e-commerce. It thrives on deeply personal connections and sets the bar for a new era of thoughtful, value-driven commerce.

New customer journey standards

In early 2024, Saks survey showed that 70% of consumers value personalization when shopping for luxury fashion online, and 93% said they're likely to engage in actions that make their shopping experience better.

For example, they’ll happily create an account, generate a wishlist or answer questions about their shopping preferences, so that they can receive highly relevant content even before they start looking for it.

Quiet luxury brands nailed that strategy. Customer personalization isn't about a one-time sales transaction — it’s about creating unforgettable consumer experiences, anticipating expectations before they’re expressed, and making each customer feel uniquely valued.

Commerce personalization strategies

Today’s customers crave experiences that speak directly to them at every touchpoint, from product discovery and personalized content to customized checkout, convenient deliveries, and loyalty perks. ?

Data analytics

To truly understand your customers, it’s essential to explore their preferences, behaviors, and lifestyles. By leveraging analytics and customer data insights, brands are able to offer experiences and products that resonate on a personal level.

Today, this is made possible by automatically aggregated, curated data dashboards that give retail teams the ability to make informed business decisions. Data-obsessed retailers also rely on A/B testing to find out which versions of their digital offerings, like UX elements or checkout presentation, drive key business metrics, such as conversion or average order value (AOV).

Loyalty programs

People aren’t drawn to quite luxury brands for discounts or rewards — they come for the exclusive experience they can't get anywhere else. The quiet luxury industry can balance high order margins with conversion without cheapening their exclusivity with discounts.

Using exclusive experiences, personalized rewards, and VIP treatment, luxury fashion brands increase customer retention, especially considering that first-time buyers only purchase once, which adds up to high churn rates.

Membership tiers

Instead of offering buy-and-earn loyalty points, quiet luxury experiments with tiered membership systems based on customer behavior, including spending habits, returns, charity donations.

NET-A-PORTER, the world's premier luxury fashion marketplace and a pioneer in luxury e-commerce, offers free delivery as a perk for customers who reach higher loyalty program tiers, showing the value of membership to customers and encouraging shoppers to come back to maintain tier status.?

Product recommendations

Alce Labs reports that 26% of luxury fashion consumers value tailored product suggestions when shopping online. AI-driven tools can generate personalized recommendations using browsing, purchase history and market trends to enhance customer journey touchpoints like email marketing, upsell, cross-sell, returns converted to exchanges, and more.

Product customization and personalization can also be effective as an upsell tactics to increase the sense of exclusivity and cater to the unique preferences of modern luxury consumers. It's like a personal shopper, stylist, and concierge all in one.

Delivery experience

Other delivery-related personalization perks include a range of delivery options tailored to any consumer preferences, including home delivery, out-of-home (OOH) options, climate-smart methods, and more.

Many retailers struggle to absorb shipping costs and turn profit. Highlighting the value of higher-cost, premium delivery options at checkout, e.g., expedited shipping, can help customers justify any additional expenses and increase the feeling of personalization.

Our data from 2024 shows that brands offering multiple delivery options achieve a 60% checkout conversion rate, compared to 47% for those with a single option.

Delivery promise

It's the commitment online retailers make to deliver each product to customers within a certain time frame and conditions, as well as with a certain level of service. Traditionally, e-commerce businesses would determine an estimate shipping date after processing the order and only then notify the shopper by email or text message.

Today's consumers want to know who offers the most convenient, cheapest, and fastest delivery option even before checkout. Lifestyle, location, shopping habits, seasons, days of the week — so many things come into play when shaping each consumer's delivery choice.

Try before you buy

UK-based Harper Concierge offers a convenient and stress-free shopping experience that allows customers to see and feel their pieces before committing to a purchase, just like at a physical store.

Try-before-you-buy services with named-day delivery help customers try on pieces with their own wardrobe at home and only pay for the ones they decide to keep, and any returns are taken away.

Brands using Harper services report a 45% increase in transaction value and a 30% drop in disappointing 'zero sale' transactions. By supercharging the try-before-you-buy option as a VIP or loyalty program perk, retailers can additionally create a delivery-driven revenue stream while boosting customer engagement.

Market-leading quiet luxury brands

The Row

If one brand embodies quiet luxury, it's The Row . Established in 2006 by iconic Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the label champions a minimalist approach towards timeless ready-to-wear styles, handbags, and accessories.

TOTEME

Timeless style with a modern perspective. Founded by Elin Kling and Karl Lindman in Stockholm, TOTEME builds on Scandinavian minimalism, quality materials, sculptural shapes, and rich textures for everyday living. The same attention to detail includes their online shopping experience at every step of the customer journey.

KHAITE

Known for its premium take on everyday staples, KHAITE burst onto the scene at New York Fashion Week in 2019 and has been on a steady rise ever since. By 2022, the brand opened its first physical store, which also served as the venue for its latest fashion show.

BEVZA

In the whirlwind of New York Fashion Week, BEVZA ’s shows consistently bring a haven of calm in the eye of the storm. Expect clean lines, soft neutrals, and flowing silhouettes. At the heart of it, designer Svitlana Bevza infuses deeper meaning into her creations, honoring her Ukrainian heritage and championing sustainability through her designs.

By MALENE BIRGER

BY MALENE BIRGER , another Scandinavian brand effortlessly aligned with the quiet luxury ethos. Rooted in Denmark’s design tradition that values minimalism and refinement, the label stands out since its launch in 2003. Renowned for its classic silhouettes and neutral colors, it delivers high quality pieces that exude versatility and are made to last.

TOVE Studio

Never restrictive, each piece transcends the season. Minimalism blended with romantic aesthetic. Founded by Camille Perry and Holly Wright in 2019 and born out of a woman's name originating from Denmark, TOVE Studio curates a collection of elevated feminine pieces, with distinct silhouettes that transition seamlessly between occasions.

Jil Sander

The timeless icon in the luxury fashion world. The label's approach to fashion is defined by the search for a long-lasting style — while trends shift, Jil Sander stays true to its minimalist ethos. The first men’s collection was presented in Milan in January 1997, introducing a very specific vision, through clear yet comfortable cuts and extremely refined tailoring.

This trend could signal a significant shift in how e-commerce retailers position themselves in the future. As consumers grow more selective and value authentic connections, brands that combine quality, authenticity, and a captivating narrative will set themselves apart.

Is your retail brand shifting the focus from top-line growth to business profitability? If so, pricing strategies for your e-commerce delivery and returns must be one of the biggest questions your team wants to answer before 2025.?

Get a free copy of Delivery and Returns Pricing Strategy Report 2024 by Harper and Ingrid , created in collaboration with 100 top UK retailers, from luxury segments to mass market brands. No fluff, only data benchmarks and market analysis for your brand's team.