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