Investigation 3: My Brand - Warehouse

After investigating the customer experience in both Oasis and Topshop, it was time to come back to my home store and carry out the same sort of challenge. I use the word challenge, as I thought it would be difficult to come back to a store where I know what to expect and look at the whole experience as an outsider. This is why I enlisted the help of Abby, as I knew the staff would look at her like any other customers - if I walked onto the shop floor then staff attitudes and mannerisms would change as they know me. So I sent Abby in first, and together this is what we discovered:

The Mystery Shop
First Impressions:
Only having concessions in our city, the first impression is nearly always a mannequin display that acts as our front "window." Abby noted that although the mannequins were dressed for the festive season, not all of them were as aspirational for our target audience, and one outfit she wouldn't have even put together at all, as it didn't work well together. There is a large pillar that immediately omits one wall of the store, which is disappointing for a first-time customer entering the shop. Other than that, standards were of a high degree and the store was very clean.

Staff Acknowledgement:
Only one member of staff was present, but from my own knowledge I know that this is the norm for this store size. The atmosphere was fairly quiet with only the concession CD player making an impact on noise, as the host store overall wasn't very busy. The staff member was tidying when Abby approached the back of the store but acknowledged her when Abby asked for help. She noted that the sales assistant was presented to a high standard and looked aspirational in her uniform choice and accessories.

Visual Design and Layout:
There is a clear design to the layout, starting with Christmas occasion wear and coats. Destination areas can be found easily and the wall displays are interesting with torsos dressed to reflect the stock - this wasn't used so much in the other stores. We think the graphics are really interesting and fun for this time of year and it was noted that stock was actually available as shown in the graphics, which a lot of the time you don't get.

(Black Soft Zip Pocket Leather Drape Jacket)

Fitting Room Challenge:

Abby approached the sales assistant after not being able to locate a jacket on a torso. She found the item for her and noted there was enough sizes out to be shopped, but was surprised at the price tag on it! The sales assistant then let Abby know it was 100% leather hence the price and did she want to try it on? Abby then went to the fitting rooms but was a little unsure if she should still go on in, as the rope that bars off the cubicles was just laid across the floor. The member of staff had gone back to tidying so Abby went on in and left the curtain open while she tried on the jacket. The sales assistant then acknowledged Abby had the jacket on and came in to help her with the fit of it. She was honest and said that it didn't fit her exactly as it should, which Abby was pleased about because a lot of time you will find a sales assistant just looking to put money in the till point - and in this case it was £140! She recommended other styles of jacket through casual conversation, and Abby took note of one to add to her Christmas wish list! She was happy with the level of acknowledgement the sales assistant gave her and would return to the store again based on this experience.

The Internet, The Store, and More:

Our website is very much like Topshop's in that it is minimalistic in style and layout, but offers the same quirky-ness of Oasis' by including "gif" animations rather than static images on their homepage. Again, they have a human nature in their Twitter posts and regularly use customer's own photos to advertise stock to other followers. I like that they show more of an insight into the "behind the scenes" side of retail, often posting pictures and videos straight from their headquarters or live from in-store events. Unfortunately, we do not have as much interaction with social media and our customers as the other stores do at this time of year. I know from previous experience that we have done huge social media campaigns before, but in comparison to the others we have missed the boat this season. We have no mention of wish lists etc., and the only reference to Christmas on the website is their festive stock and the last delivery dates before Christmas. This is where we could learn something and try and include some sort of Christmas incentive through social media, such as how Topshop have advertised their "Pin It to Win It" competition with Pinterest.

Overall, the shopping experience in my store was pleasant and the stock shoppable. The staff member was attentive to Abby's needs and knowledgeable of the stock. The social media aspect of the brand is an interesting and fun account of the day-to-day goings-on at Warehouse HQ, interspersed with customer posts and photos. Warehouse is definitely interactive with their customer following on social media sites, yet despite lack of incentives that other stores have utilised, this doesn't seem to have hindered the size of their audience.

 

Kirsten x

Investigation 2: Oasis

Next stop was Oasis - my "rival" for the Aurora brands category ;) Knowing what to expect from another similar store that holds the same set of customer values, I went in after our previous hideous shopping experience wanting so badly for them to deliver. And they did!

The Mystery Shop

(Christmas window display)

First Impressions:
I always like the Oasis windows - their visual team must put a lot of time, effort and money into each season as they always deliver an exciting window for passers-by. They use window decals to their advantage that creates a "scene," and unlike the previous store investigation, I felt that these mannequins were styled exactly as you'd expect for this time of year with pretty occasion wear pieces to WOW at any Christmas party! They always make use of their easel stand, too, which draws customers in right at the entrance - this time with an in-your-face-fuchsia 70% off sale sign!

Staff Acknowledgement:
An impeccably-dressed sales assistant clocked Abby and I within seconds of entering the store, immediately picking up on our buying signals of trawling the occasion wear rails for the perfect festive frock. I picked up the blue Sequin Wrap Dress (I'm like a magpie, anything shiny and sparkly and I'm there!) and also picked up the red Mona Embellished Dress. They had played heavily on red in their window so I thought I would see what all their fuss was about! The sales assistant commented on how lovely the sequin dress was, that it had been popular since its arrival, and also that it came in sizes XS-L, rather than normal women's sizes. I thought that was really good of her to just mention that, it shows her knowledge of the stock through casual chatter and immediately I felt happy to browse the rest of the store.

Visual Design and Layout:
There was a clear shopping layout as we walked through the store, and for this time of year it was very seasonal which I what I like to see as a customer who needs to shop quickly and efficiently during peak trade. Starting with occasion wear, it led on to winter knits and cold weather accessories with gifts. Then it went onto casualwear, other accessories and sale. Bizarrely, coats were situated at the back of the store, which I thought was rather odd considering the temperature outside is nearly freezing? Oasis was calmer than Topshop in atmospheric terms, but still pleasant to shop without hordes of other customers bashing their shopping bags into you!

Fitting Room Challenge:
Abby took on this challenge whilst I tried on said dresses. She picked up a red blouse, knowing it was on display in the window. Most stores dress their mannequins in a size 8 or 10 (her size) depending on the store, but unfortunately the blouse wasn't in either of those sizes on the shop floor. She approached the sales assistant who happily offered to locate the blouse for her, and took her to the till point to try and order it in. As it happened, the computer was actually able to tell the sales assistant that there was 3 x size 8s in their stock room, which she quickly grabbed for Abby. I liked that the sales assistant was eager to help Abby out with trying to find her desired size in another store or online, but the fact that it was actually just sitting in the stock room means Oasis loses points there.

Meanwhile, the Sequin dress was amazing on! It flattered my body shape, however could've been a little bit more fitted. When I came to show Abby how it looked, I asked another sales assistant who was manning the fitting room to grab me a smaller size. She returned quickly with it and that size was a lot better. I was a little disappointed that she didn't comment on it herself, or offer to get me a different size when Abby and  I was discussing the fit of the dress. However when I left the store Abby mentioned that she saw that the staff member had her hands quite full with another customer who had three kids in tow. I think it's great that she was so willing to help her out, but it meant that my experience wasn't as good as it should've been. Had there been more staff on hand than two members on a busy Saturday afternoon this might've been a different story.

The Internet, The Store, and More:
Oasis has a great website and utilises social media very much to their advantage. They have combined the layout of each of these websites to have a continuous scheme, which ties in nicely together. They are more "human" than Topshop, by Tweeting occasionally about their days in Head Office, but still Instagramming pictures of press days and uploading Vine videos of fashion shoots. They re-Tweet customer buys and outfits, especially from their "Seek and Send" service - items which have sold out online are located in stores and posted to the customers personally.

 (A customer receives an item via "Seek and Send," which has been re-Tweeted by Oasis)

If I could implement one thing from Oasis into my brand it would be to include some sort of ordering service in ALL stores, such as the computer to locate items for customers. Unfortunately, working in a concession means the only form of ordering I have is to either ring other stores - which takes time - or to use the host store ordering kiosks - which doesn't always have the same stock as us.

 

In conclusion, I had a really enjoyable experience in Oasis. I like their quirky, human nature on social media sites, and that they don't throw the stock down people's throats - they display them through the customers' eyes rather than linking them from website to website. I was impressed by the appearance and knowledge of the staff, but know that the second half of my experience was let down only because the store was under-staffed which is beyond their control.

 

Kirsten x

Investigation 1: Topshop

My first task was to go out and investigate two other similar stores and note my experience down in blog form. With the aid of my best friend, Abby, we set out into the cold winter air of Plymouth and I gave her a list of criteria for her to consider before we headed into the chosen stores. I told her I wanted to investigate another Aurora brand (coming in the next post) and one of the biggest and busiest women's retailer in the city - Topshop.

The Mystery Shop

(Christmas window display)

First Impressions:
On arrival we were surprised at their chosen window scheme - sure the outfits were wearable and would be great for bar wear during this season but when you think it's literally a month until Christmas you'd expect a bit more sparkle surely?! The only thing that gave it away as a seasonal window set-up was the pink and black tree decorations behind the averagely-styled mannequins. Not so aspirational, but still - we soldiered on inside.

Staff Acknowledgement:
Upon entering the store there was no greeter/security guard which again, for this size of store and the amount of staff running around (at least 15) you'd expect at least a simple "hello" from someone? But no. Not one member of staff acknowledged our presence, not even after loudly commenting on a (hideous) PVC-looking get-up on "what's this made of?" and "how would you wash it?" Nothing. Poor effort, ladies. I'd have thought someone would've perked up with some sort of garment care knowledge, as I do in my own store, but no.

Visual Design and Layout
I will give the store credit for its design and layout, though. Topshop always has a really good flow of customer walkways and a clear split between casual and formalwear. There are plenty of sizes out and enough of each to ensure the majority of their customers can grab their size without having to ask someone to search the stockroom. They always have clear jersey and denim destinations, and you couldn't even get a look in at their seasonal gifts and accessories thanks to the amount of shoppers about. With everyone feeling and looking so festive you couldn't help but lap up the atmosphere of wanting to purchase something, but the staff awareness was so shoddy we weren't tempted to approach the till points at all.

(Standing on your tip-toes won't make your bum smaller!)

Fitting Room Challenge:
In the end I picked up two bodycon skirts - one floral and one that was displayed in the window - a black and green shimmery number. Luckily I had a black vest top on underneath my winter layers so I could envision the outfit as I'd want to wear the skirts. I headed over to the fitting rooms where a cheery girl took my items, separated them as she counted them, and led me to my cubicle. She didn't once comment on my items, despite the fact that she actually had the floral skirt on! I picked up on it, and only then did she start chatting about how I should go for a size smaller because it stretches (I assumed so, and had already done that) and that a top close to where the skirt was displayed goes excellently with it, as per her own choice the other day. After trying on the skirt and realising that this shape was really NOT my style for the size of my hips and derriere, I told the girl they were the wrong style for my body shape and would continue looking. She didn't offer an alternative and let me leave feeling disheartened. (Whilst this was all happening, Abby waited on the sofa outside the cubicles and managed to snap THREE members of staff chatting away about how ill they were feeling. Funny how they all managed to scarper away when another poor customer emerged from her cubicle for help, only to find no one waiting for her.)

(Our trio of helpful staff!) 

The Internet, The Store, and More:
Like every other retailer, Topshop have jumped on the Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest bandwagon along with revamping their website to include links to said sites. Topshop's Twitter and website are very minimalistic, no seasonal slogans or backgrounds - just the stock. They have heavily advertised their Meadham Kirchhoff range on both sites, but we didn't see this as we were looking around the store. If anything, I think my store could branch out in this direction of having a celebrity spokesperson, or designer line, as we see this so often in many retail stores and customers have lapped it up (see the Kardashian Kollection for Dorothy Perkins, for example).
They have also invested a lot of time and effort into their "Pin it to Win It" campaign. They have even Instagrammed a picture of their Pinterest booth that allows customers to "Pin" their wishlist items onto their boards, right there in store (flagship, of course!). Topshop regularly posts stock pictures onto each sites, focussing on their "Daily Fix" promotion and other press days and photo shoots, too.

(Their Pinterest Interactive Gift Guide in the London flagship store)

In conclusion, I like the way they've upped their A-game in the social media stakes, but it seems they've let it go when it comes to the basics of staff training in stores. I'm not sure I'll be returning to the store anytime soon, but would still follow their current trends online - and only then will I return when I see something worth my time and effort :)

Kirsten x

I'm Kirsten...

I'm 23, and I'm a supervisor working in leading high street store.

I've been fortunate enough to be accepted onto their higher education course of "Sales to Management" in partnership with the University of Derby Corporate. Some of my modules require me to complete blog posts about certain experiences, so here goes...

These are my musings and ramblings of the whirlwind business of retail :)

Thanks for reading!
Kirsten x