Alton Lane: A Great Men’s Wear Customer Experience

Posted on April 8, 2016 by bermanevansretail
Alton Lane is a unique luxury men’s wear retailer with showrooms in New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Dallas, Chicago, Richmond (Virginia), and San Francisco.
This is Alton Lane’s approach to creating a distinctive customer experience:
EXPERIENCE: “You are invited to get comfortable on our big leather sofas or to pull up a stool at our custom-built design bar – we’ll have the game on TV. We will help you select from the thousand of fabrics we offer from the best mills in the world and then walk you through all of our customizable design options to create exactly what you’re looking for. We utilize state-of-the-art 3D body scanners during your private appointment to ensure your garments fit just the way you like them.
QUALITY: This “is always our top priority. From world-class fabrics and linings to premium finishings, we are committed to using the highest quality materials available. We have enlisted the craftsmanship of master pattern makers and tailors who construct your clothing with the utmost care and precision.”
FIT: “We strive to deliver a precise fit based on your individual body by using our 3D technology, select hand measurements, and sample garments that allow us to gain more insight into your personal preferences on fit and cut.
COMMITMENT: “We are committed to providing the best fit, best quality, and best experience possible. We are not satisfied until you love your garments and will do whatever it takes to ensure your complete satisfaction.

 

Here are two company videos that further describe the Alton Lane approach.

 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Part 8: Putting It All Together, Retail Executive Interviews, Video Clips (non-career) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

RealReal: An Interesting Consignment-Based Retail Strategy

Posted on April 7, 2016 by bermanevansretail
The RealReal
“is the leader in authenticated luxury consignment. We offer the largest selection of pre-owned and authenticated luxury items including men’s and women’s luxury fashion, fine jewelry & watches and fine art. The RealReal sells pieces from designers such as Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton; jewelry and watches from Cartier, Rolex, and Van Cleef & Arpels; and blue-chip art from Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Sam Francis and hundreds of others. Our consignors earn 60-70% of the sale price, and items sell quickly, most within 3 days.”

 

“All items received are thoroughly inspected and authenticated by our team, and then curated into daily sales. Consignors track their sales from a personal online dashboard. We inspect and authenticate every item with our in-house team of experts including gemologists, horologists, art appraisers and luxury experts.”

 

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Social Media and Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Science (?) of Retail Security

Posted on April 6, 2016 by bermanevansretail
As been been reported so many times, retail security — both in-store and online — has become a major issue for millions of companies around the world. (see, for example, 1, 2, 3)
Very recently, EarthLink noted this about security:
“Our infographic Understanding the Retail Data Breach can help you understand and communicate to others in your organization some of what you’re up against, with some key stats to make your case and some ideas on solutions to get your data house in order. Merchants often underestimate the high risk and cost of a breach, but consumers and regulatory agencies are looking for your organization to build security programs that effectively protect customer data and quickly respond to threats.”
Here is EarthLink’s infographic, downloaded from Retail TouchPoints. Click the infographic for a larger image. 


 

Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Privacy and Identity Theft Issues, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments