The Rise of Personal Shopping
In the past, only the wealthy could afford the perks of having a stylist personalize your wardrobe with the latest trends. Thanks to modern technology, having a personalized shopping experience is accessible at any pricepoint. With websites like Stichfix, having clothing selected for you and sent to your door is simple. For the rich, however, dropping thousands of dollars on an entire season of clothing is not easy to do online. According to a new Business of Fashion article, retail sales were down both in store and online, but personal shopping businesses like Mythersea, had relatively steady sales.
As the pandemic continues to shape the fashion industry in a new way, retailers are forced to come up with new ways to generate sales, especially to their top-tier clients. In early June, BOF sat down with a group of wealthy women to discuss their opinions on future shopping trends. One woman said that she used to go into stores, “just because,” thus generating more impulse buys. But now, its more transactional. “You will go because you know exactly what you want. You're like, ‘give me, this is my credit card, I'm out of here,” the woman said.
The retailers are listening, however, to their clients needs and many luxury stores, like Neiman Marcus, are offering generous perks to their VIP customers. Neiman Marcus just announced last month their new app called “Connect” which allows employees to recommend products and offer style tips directly to shopper.
According to BOF, other retailers like Saks and even France’s Galeries Lafayette, “invested in virtual personal shoppers and other remote interactions between customers and employees during the pandemic.” Its only a matter of time before other stores create their own renditions of personal shopping experiences, especially large department stores.
Whether it be their own shopping apps, or companies who provide personal shoppers, the way we shop is certainly going to change thanks to the pandemic. More people may decide to find alternative ways to get new clothes until it becomes completely safe to shop in stores.
By: Staci Soslowitz