We reviewed over 65 luxury fashion websites, reviewing performance, sustainability, and user-friendliness. Focusing on core performance metrics, such as Digital Carbon Emissions (CO₂e), Site Performance (PERF), SEO, Accessibility (ACS), and Best Practices (BP).
Performance Data
- Both mobile and desktop sites scored an average of 58.12 for PageSpeed, with most luxury brand websites from Europe (London).
- Performance scores varied quite a bit, with some websites, like corneliani.com, running super smoothly while others, like Isaia, that could use a little tune-up.
Carbon Emissions (CO₂e)
- CO₂e values ranged widely, with emissions from 0.013 g to 6.166 g per site with an average of 1.162 g.
- Websites with lower CO₂e values include corneliani.com (0.013 g), reflecting better optimisation, while Isaia displayed the highest emissions (6.166 g), indicating potential inefficiencies with code, images, and video.
Core Web Vitals (CWV) Performance
- Many websites failed to meet Core Web Vitals standards, highlighting areas for improvement, especially on mobile performance.
- Few websites passed CWV standards, with many failing due to issues like PageSpeed and load efficiency, which are critical for reducing digital emissions and improving performance.
- Sites that met CWV standards (e.g., furla.com and burberry.com) demonstrate lower environmental impact, indicating that CWV alignment supports a reduced digital carbon footprint.
Top Performers in Various Metrics
- Performance: High-performing sites included fendi.com (78) and tomford.com (96).
- SEO and Accessibility: Websites like tiffany.com, celine.com, and cartier.com scored excellently in both SEO and accessibility.
- Best Practices (BP): Sites such as corneliani.com, chanel.com, and burberry.com scored 100 in Best Practices, indicating adherence to industry standards and high-quality code practices.
Overall Assessment
- We saw some top performers too! Fendi.com and tomford.com impressed with their overall speed, while tiffany.com, celine.com, and cartier.com stood out for being both easy to find in search engines (SEO) and super accessible for everyone.
- When it comes to following the industry best practices, corneliani.com, chanel.com, and burberry.com got top marks, showing they're setting the bar high for website code quality.
- Many sites with "Very Poor" performance were characterised by high CO₂e emissions and low accessibility scores, indicating a need for efficiency improvements in these areas to align with sustainable and accessible web standards.
- The analysis shows that by reducing CO₂e emissions through optimised web practices and using the right technology, luxury brands can align their digital presence with sustainability initiatives, which increasingly matter to eco-conscious consumers.
- Efficiency in web performance supports sustainability and enhances user experience, a critical factor for luxury brands aiming to meet high consumer expectations.
Recommendations for Improvement
- Implementing efficient hosting, compressing media files, optimising mobile experiences, and improving CWV scores can all contribute to a lower digital carbon footprint.
- Regular audits and performance tracking using SiteBeacon can ensure ongoing improvements, helping brands minimise their environmental impact and meet the growing demand for sustainable digital practices.
Find out the in-depth data analysis here.