Bricks-and-mortar clothing stores have more competition now than ever before thanks to the increased number of online retailers and subscription-based clothing services.
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So more and more stores are offering free personal stylists who will do everything from opening the store early and keeping it open late to shipping your items to you — all to persuade shoppers to choose their inventory over that of the other stores, said Ali Lipson, retail and apparel analyst for the Mintel Group.
It’s all an attempt to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, she said.
“Retailers offering this service free of charge are keeping up with current marketplace trends, as well as creating customer loyalty,” Lipson said. “Additionally, consumers have become exceptionally savvy — if something is free elsewhere, they may switch retailers to take advantage of such services.”
According to Mintel data, about 10 percent of women who bought clothing in the past year said they’ve looked to others for advice on fashion. Five percent of women surveyed said they’d like a personal shopper, and the number increases among younger women, with 12 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds responding that they’d like this service.
About 9 percent of the men said a complimentary personal shopper would encourage them to shop more often.
Macy’s offers Macy’s By Appointment for any budget, and they will help find everything from sale clothing to wedding or holiday gifts, said Marianne Halling, a regional director for the service.
“A dedicated personal shopper can offer fashion and accessory solutions custom tailored to each individual style, update homes with the latest accents and designs and even find gifts that are perfectly suited for every occasion,” Halling said.
Before the first in-store appointment, the personal shopper calls the customer to discuss budget, lifestyle and unique shopping needs, she said.
Then they customize the shopper’s appointment, selecting and setting aside merchandise in a private salon with designated fitting rooms.
White House Black Market also offers complimentary personal shopping services in all of its stores — and they will open the boutique early or stay late to accommodate busy schedules, said Alexandra Onofrio, senior vice president for marketing and visual at White House Black Market.
“We’ll help her plan outfits for a whole week or work or a single evening out, down to the shoes, bag and jewelry,” Onofrio said.
Stores like White House Black Market are becoming more flexible and accommodating to lure shoppers, said April Carlisle, senior vice president of global shopper marketing for Arc Worldwide.
“Shoppers expect to get more out of their shopping experience when they make the energy to get off the couch and walk into a store versus ordering products online,” Carlisle said. The personalized shopping experiences that clothing stores are offering are similar to the samples at Whole Foods or the tactile headphone bars at Best Buy.
“The broad industry term is ‘retailtainment’ — something which you can only get when you walk into a physical brick-and-mortar space and gives you a reason to want to go into the store,” Carlisle said.
But some people are wary of being told about products that they don’t necessarily want or need, and they assume that the personal shopper is making a commission and therefore isn’t truly objective. Instead, they prefer feedback from their circle of friends, Carlisle said.
She believes that the future of personalized shopping assistance is in a blend of human interaction and technology, which is what AllSaints stores already do.
Although associates float around the stores if needed, they also have iPads strategically placed that customers can use to look up ratings on products, or to ship clothing home, Carlisle said.
“Look at Target,” she added. “They are placing beauty advisers in selected stores that hover around the beauty aisles and can help you pick out the perfect style for your frizzy hair. However, you can also scan a product on the Target app while you are in-store and be able to pull up ratings and reviews from other Target shoppers.”