Unlocking Fashion's Secrets: A Case Study in Outfitting Innovation
Join me on a thrilling journey as I lead the charge in a groundbreaking outfitting mission, aiming to reshape the fashion landscape. Through innovative design strategies, we delve into the depths of consumer behaviour, exploring the intersection of style and psychology.
Customers struggle to find clothing items, with an outfit or multiple outfits in mind, because of their individual needs and style preferences.
Before embarking on our 'outfitting' mission to provide a tailored solution, our team prioritised understanding the core problem. Collaborating with fellow squad members, I devised a set of research questions aimed at gaining insight into consumers' perceptions and behaviours regarding outfits. We aimed to lay a solid foundation for our mission and ensure that our solution truly meets the needs of our target audience.
Incremental Revenue I App Revenue Share I NPS/Inspiration I Cross-category Shopping
Improve inspiration and style perceptionCross sell into different categories/departments/BUIntegrate well into current journeysGenerate positive word of mouth/PR
We don't show the versatility of our productsCurrent solutions are not visible enough, not easy enough to shopWe are under market benchmark for key KPIs - purchase frequency, UPT and acquisition
They are lacking in confidence. They want us to have a point of view - tell them how to dressVery broad customer baseWe don't have the same shopper/mindset across the different BU/departments
Quality & trust - can we automate and retain the quality?Stock availability is an issue – the solution needs to be stock awareDon't make process harder - it must be easy to maintain
Most participants defined an outfit as being every clothing and accessory item you will wear to a special occasion (e.g shoes, jacket, dress and accessories)
Following our initial research, our next steps involved identifying any additional research questions or gaps in knowledge that may have emerged. This involved qualitative interviews, surveys, observational studies to gain deeper insights into consumer behaviour and preferences related to outfitting.
This concept revolves around personalising the shopping experience on the Marks & Spencer (M&S) website based on the user's preferences regarding their appearance, clothing likes and dislikes. Overall, this concept aims to enhance the shopping experience by providing tailored guidance and recommendations, helping users find clothing that makes them look and feel their best.
The idea was popular with people because customers want to be shown clothes that suit their individual style and shape.
People revealed their style criteria based off their body shapes including broader shoulders, longer legs or being petite.
It was expected that this tool would take those factors into consideration and suggest personalised items
M&S style profile was seen to solve a user problem; having to spend extensive time searching for items that suit their specific style. Recommending the right products to people would be critical here.
The "Shop Outfits" concept revolves around providing users with a convenient and streamlined shopping experience by allowing them to browse and purchase complete outfits tailored to specific occasions or preferences. Overall, the "Shop Outfits" concept aims to enhance the shopping experience by offering curated outfit options, convenient purchasing options, and seamless navigation, making it easier for users to find and buy stylish ensembles for any occasion.
People liked the ’style match’ feature because it ensured recommendations were personalised
In addition, the filtering by occasions was seen as positive as you may want an outfit for a holiday or wedding
Few were very concerned that they would end up in the same outfit as someone else at a wedding, particularly amongst the older participants
Shopping by event/occasion seemed to be popular as long as recommendations are personalised, but the concern that people may be wearing the same outfit needs to be taken into consideration.
The "Ways to Wear" concept focuses on providing users with inspiration and guidance on how to style and wear a specific clothing item in multiple ways. Overall, the "Ways to Wear" concept aims to empower users with styling ideas, encourage creativity, and help them make the most out of their wardrobe by showcasing the versatility of individual clothing items and suggesting complementary pieces based on their preferences and past purchases.
A problem people mentioned was that they struggle to re-use items they own in other ways
It was considered a good thing for the M&S brand because
It was a positive move away from fast fashionM&S are helping you save money by re-using old items
Some people thought this could be ‘fun’ and would give them style ideas
We have learnt that customers consider whether they can wear a new clothing item for multiple occasions when purchasing. This idea may address this need.
In conclusion, by implementing the new concepts outlined, Marks & Spencer (M&S) stands to gain valuable insights into consumer behaviour, preferences, and needs related to outfit shopping. These experiments have the potential to yield significant benefits, including a substantial increase in revenue and an enhancement of the overall retail experience. By better understanding and addressing customers' desires, M&S can tailor its offerings to meet their needs more effectively, ultimately leading to heightened satisfaction and loyalty among its customer base. Through ongoing innovation and a commitment to meeting consumer demands, M&S can position itself for continued success in the dynamic retail landscape.
Incremental Revenue: The impact of high spend group customers making one more order or adding one more item to their basket could lead to a substantial increase in revenue. By targeting these customers effectively and catering to their individual needs and style preferences, there is potential to drive significant incremental revenue
Migration of Customers: Migrating customers from low and medium spend groups to the next spending tier presents a lucrative opportunity. For instance, migrating just 1% of iOS low/medium spend groups to the next spending tier could result in a revenue increase of £1.5 million. With a more aggressive approach, capturing 5% of these customers could yield an impressive £10 million increase in revenue.
App Revenue Share: The value of app acquisition from other channels is significant. Customers who shop across multiple channels, including the app, tend to spend more annually compared to those who only shop across physical stores and the web. For example, customers shopping across Store, Web, and App spend an average of £594 more annually. This highlights the importance of acquiring customers onto the app platform to drive revenue growth.
Cross-Category Shopping and NPS/Inspiration: Encouraging cross-category shopping through the app can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, by providing inspirational content and personaliSed recommendations within the app, there is an opportunity to improve Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and inspire customers to make more frequent purchases, thereby driving revenue growth.
App Acquisition Opportunity: Lastly, there is a significant opportunity in converting customers who primarily use web or mobile-web platforms to primarily using the app. By capturing just 1% of these customers and shifting their primary shopping platform to the app, there is potential to generate £5.4 million in additional revenue annually.
If you're intrigued and ready to embark on a creative journey together, I'm eager to hear from you.
YOUR VISION, MY SKILLS - let's make it happen!
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