University / Landing Page

Vanderbilt Holiday CatalogBoosting sales by 15% with compelling landing page design

Gearing up for the holidays, Vanderbilt University found the perfect opportunity to promote their merchandise catalog in a timely and on-brand fashion. The challenge: create a conversion-focused landing page design that felt appropriate for high academia and enhanced the institution's esteemed image, while still making the most of this crucial commercial moment.

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Client
Vanderbilt University
Industry
Higher Education
Year
2023
Services
Design, Development
Vanderbilt Holiday Catalog landing page before and after design.

Quick answer

Oak Theory is a web design, development, and branding studio that designed the holiday merchandise catalog landing page for Vanderbilt University. The 7-week campaign unified merchandise from two separate third-party ecommerce platforms into one cohesive, on-brand landing page experience, producing a 15% increase in online apparel sales in the first week after launch.

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Increase in online apparel sales, week one

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Week marketing campaign

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Ecommerce platforms unified

Vanderbilt Holiday Gift Guide 2023 landing page open on a laptop beside a holiday mug and tree.

About

An emblem of academic excellence since 1873.

Nestled in the heart of Nashville, Vanderbilt University has stood as an emblem of academic excellence since its founding in 1873. With a rich history and commitment to building an enduring brand, Vanderbilt sought to amplify its presence in the lives of alumni and faculty through a captivating holiday marketing campaign promoting their merchandise.

Recognizing the challenge at hand — using design to tastefully showcase the university's merchandise catalog during the festive season — the creative process unfolded as a true partnership. Vanderbilt entrusted Oak Theory to strike the delicate balance required for a prestigious institution to venture successfully into the realm of holiday promotions.

The challenge

Two storefronts, one seamless journey.

Navigating the complexities of Vanderbilt's holiday marketing campaign presented a unique challenge: showcasing merchandise split between two third-party ecommerce stores, each with its own distinct branding. The objective was to craft a landing page that preceded both platforms in the user journey, ensuring a logical transition without visual dissonance.

With the client's rigid partner platforms limiting creative flexibility, the imperative arose for an engaging, fully on-brand catalog landing page to present all products clearly. Tasked with orchestrating a 7-week campaign, the focus extended beyond directing online traffic to cultivating high engagement on the webpage and stimulating conversions.

What we did

Scope of engagement

DesignWebsite DesignWebsite Design
DevelopmentWeb DevelopmentWeb Development
What our client said
After years in Purchasing working with a bunch of vendors across various fields — seriously, it was a lot — it's not easy for me to be wowed by a vendor. But Oak Theory managed to do just that!
Edward KinneyPurchasing, Vanderbilt University

Oak Theory's contribution

01

Looking beyond landing page design success.

With the high-spend month of December approaching, Vanderbilt selected Oak Theory to create a landing page design that made the most of this opportunity. Our goal was to elevate the project beyond being just a puzzle piece within the wider holiday marketing campaign.

Instead of merely riding the festive wave, our aim was to enhance the university's brand significance for alumni and faculty all year round, showcasing the institution behind the Vanderbilt Holiday brand.

02

An online version of a cherished paper catalog.

We wanted to achieve emotional impact by creating a user-friendly digital experience that truly felt like an online version of the original paper catalogs — a nostalgic nod to a cherished shared memory.

Through a purposeful fusion of conversion-focused design and creative storytelling, Oak Theory crafted a memorable marketing campaign engineered to resonate long after the bells stopped jingling.

Vanderbilt Holiday Gift Guide landing page hero, video module, and product collection design.
03

The design challenge.

The design needed to read as a clutter-free catalog page — accentuating product imagery while cultivating a cohesive, straightforward, and engaging user experience. Every module was built to move users toward one of the two purchasing platforms without visual whiplash on arrival.

04

Conversion-focused design with a touch of holiday cheer.

The final design balanced festive warmth with the clarity needed to guide users smoothly toward two separate purchasing platforms, without ever feeling disjointed or overly commercial for an institution of Vanderbilt's stature.

Before and after comparison of the Vanderbilt holiday gift ideas section and footer design.

Selected work

Design details

Vanderbilt Holiday Catalog landing page before and after full-page comparison.
Vanderbilt Holiday Catalog product grid design shown on a tablet.
Vanderbilt Holiday Catalog collection storytelling section shown on a tablet.
Vanderbilt Holiday Catalog landing page hero section on mobile.
Vanderbilt Holiday Catalog seasonal landing page module shown on a laptop.
Vanderbilt holiday merchandise product photography of hats and beanies.

The Results

The result: a 15% uptick in sales

The carefully curated design and storytelling elements enhanced the holiday catalog landing page organically, forging a compelling narrative that resonated with the university's community and holiday shoppers alike.

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Increase in online apparel sales (week one)

MetricBeforeAfterChange
Online apparel salesBaseline+15%+15%
Vanderbilt University reportingFirst week after campaign launch

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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