Nordstrom Launches Fashion Ambassador Program For Greatest Prospects
Nordstrom’s 57th Avenue flagship in Manhattan, photographed December 8, 2020. (Gary Hershorn/Getty … [+]
Nordstrom has a brand new Stylist Ambassador Program out there within the retailer’s high 20 markets. This system is made up of high stylists in these markets who work with prospects to assist them really feel good and look their finest. The stylists who’re a part of this system will assist deliver the Nordstrom expertise to life on social media, occasions and with media, amongst different platforms.
Styling is simply one of many many ways in which Nordstrom creates customized experiences that join prospects with the high-quality merchandise they need, when and the place they need them, the retailer stated.
Nordstrom is principally investing in its finest prospects. No shock there: purchasers that interact with Nordstrom styling companies are among the Seattle-based retailer’s most loyal prospects. They go to shops extra steadily and spend a whopping seven occasions greater than those that do not use styling companies.
This can be a essential time for Nordstrom. With two comparatively new shops in Manhattan, a ladies’s and a males’s retailer, actual property is dear, and the retailer isn’t used to paying excessive lease as a result of many malls have needed Nordstrom to anchor their buying facilities and charged low lease in addition to paid for among the retailer’s buildouts.
In the newest third quarter, web gross sales at Nordstrom declined 2.9 p.c versus the identical interval in fiscal 2021, and gross merchandise worth (“GMV”) decreased 2.5 p.c. The timing of the Anniversary Sale, with one week shifting from the third quarter to the second quarter, had a adverse affect of roughly 200 foundation factors on web gross sales in contrast with 2021.
Throughout the quarter, Nordstrom banner web gross sales decreased 3.4 p.c, which included a adverse affect of roughly 300 foundation factors from Anniversary Sale timing, and GMV decreased 2.9 p.c.
Jessica Cloutier, Senior Director of Styling at Nordstrom, defined how the Stylist Ambassadors had been chosen. “The choice committee included a various and cross purposeful group of Nordstrom leaders inside our advertising and marketing, styling and retailer groups,” she stated. “Every committee member was requested to rank their high candidates for every of Nordstrom’s high 20 markets.”
The stylists use an array of instruments to attach with prospects. Some are high-touch companies akin to in-store styling appointments. Others are low-touch, just like the Appears outfit curator function on the backside of each product show web page.
“As social media has change into more and more extra necessary over the previous few years, we’ve empowered our stylists with new digital instruments that assist them attain prospects exterior their shops by way of social promoting,” stated Cloutier. “This allows our folks to share their curated alternatives by way of social and earn fee on the merchandise they promote on these platforms.”
Nordstrom has no plans to broaden this system to different markets past the present 20 presently. “Proper now, this system is eligible for stylists in our high 20 markets. That is our first yr of the Stylist Ambassador program, and we’re excited to see what we be taught,” Coultier stated. “That stated, now we have 1000’s of salespeople throughout the U.S. and Canada who serve our prospects digitally and in particular person every day.”
Coultier stated Nordstrom is aware of that prospects are on the lookout for fashion assist. “All year long, you’ll see our Stylist Ambassadors on our web site, social media, at Nordstrom shops, and model occasions, and extra.
“Prospects have come to anticipate a sure stage of service from Nordstrom, whether or not that’s styling a brand new merchandise with alterations, a fast and simple return or partaking with one our stylists,” Cloutier stated. “Our hope is to serve them on their phrases.”
Cloutier stated Nordstrom’s most engaged prospects leverage styling companies, go to shops extra usually and spend considerably greater than purchasers who don’t use styling companies. For the reason that Covid-19 pandemic, Nordstrom has doubled down on styling.
Shapermint launched at Nordstrom in the course of the pandemic. Massimiliano Tirocchi, Shapermint cofounder and CMO, stated on the time, “We had the brick and mortar launch in our plans in 2019, however Covid-19 occurred, and it modified your complete state of affairs. We all know that truly many of the consumers are shopping for extra in shops than they’re shopping for on-line.”
Nordstrom bought the informal message proper and has been making an attempt to lift the bar on the Covid-19 wardrobe – the official, unofficial gown code of sweat fits — for the reason that begin of the pandemic.
In September of 2020, Erik Nordstrom, CEO instructed me, “We’re getting plenty of very clear indicators about what’s related and significant to our prospects on this second. “By way of clear indicators, we’re seeing, we’re having some outsized efficiency in issues like activewear and residential, and it offers us plenty of confidence about what is going on to occur going within the second half of the yr.
“It is not stunning that we discover [casual wear] to be an amplified state of affairs proper now,” Nordstrom, added. “We pivoted to have extra of an off-the-cuff assortment. The excellent news for us is now we have fairly a little bit of breadth to our product providing within the first place, and it permits us plenty of flexibility.
Nordstrom’s much-anticipated Anniversary sale supplied reductions on new fall merchandise akin to Moto and denim jackets and sneakers, whereas its stylist companies, promoted on the retailer’s website, featured thumbnail-sized photos of outfits beneath headings akin to Staying In, Work from Dwelling, Informal Days, Exercise Appears and Household Time.
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