Enhancing retail stylist and client relationships
Forty Five Ten, a Dallas based luxury retailer, was expanding into New York City. This meant more visibility, a wider clientele and an opportunity to reimagine the retail shopping experience.
Discovery and research
My team and I visited Forty Five Ten and other retailers, spoke with customers, interviewed workers, analyzed fashion apps and read up on industry trends.
I then documented and presented our observations to the client team. The key insight we uncovered was: time is the ultimate luxury.
Brainstorming
Ideas inevitably came up during research, as we compared notes and brainstormed features. I analyzed and organized them by theme and level of need.
Sketching ideas
As we narrowed the feature focus, I started sketching our ideas and details of the client and stylist journeys.
For example, a bluetooth beacon would notify a stylist that their client is near, so they can greet them and prepare the fitting room with curated items.
Defining the ecosystem
I captured our thinking in an ecosystem journey map that included the digital and physical elements of the experience.
The map detailed key interactions between clients and stylists as well as the role of data in providing a frictionless experience before, during and after purchase.
Crafting the shopper experience
We focused the client experience on inspiration and exploration, featuring new ways to interact with products, stylist suggestions, exclusive collections and event invites.
Swipe right to like new items
Personalized suggestions
Shop in the app
Consult a stylist
We also came up with a live digital trunk show that incorporated streaming video and curated collections to sell products and create unique brand moments. I captured our ideas in wireframes that evolved into a functional prototype.
Crafting the stylist experience
The stylist experience prioritized key information like upcoming appointments, new clients and sales stats. The company's creative director would curate industry updates, ensuring stylists have timely and relevant information to share with their clients.
Key info on the dashboard
Client list and calendar
Curated industry updates
Real-time notifications
Outcome
Forty Five Ten was excited by our vision. Unfortunately during implementation, the Hudson Yards retail location was forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can view a demo of the client app on Vimeo. Elements of the experience were also incorporated into the Forty Five Ten site.
