Willow Labs; Changing the High Street Shopping Experience

Maisie Middleton, Olivia Biesty, Lucy Bedford, Rachel Stephen & Cherie Dunford Fashion Management FASH30256 Word Count:

Contents draf

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Contents/ Tasks to complete Business Opportunity1 Aims and Objectives 2 Company Overview 3 Mission Statement 4 Oaklabs

Team member Liv

Product Development 1 Features 2 Benefits 3 Technology/ innovation

Lucy

Market analysis (part 1) Initial market analysis Willow Labs’s Market Research Target Market Market Positioning Theories Primary Research Results – survey, interviews, Comp Shop Results Competitor analysis

Maisie

Market analysis (part 2) Marketing Mix 1 Product 2 Price 3 Place 4 Promotion

Cherie Rach

Marketing Strategy 1 Direct and indirect marketing 2 PR

Rach

Operation Strategy -supplier -manufacturer -ethical trading

All of us?

Finical Overview Long Term Business Goals

Maisie and Cherie All of us?

List of Figures

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1.0. Executive Summary

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This report has been developed by Willow Labs, a branch of Oak Labs, to outline the strategy of how it is revolutionising the UK High Street Market with it’s interactive fitting room. The Willow Mirror differs from the Oak Mirror as it is designed to suit the UK High Street Market; through the unique add on’s, the ability for customers to pre book their Willow experience in store, and finally the Willow Artificial Intelligence.

More than half of consumers said they have had inconvenient experiences in the fitting room, whether it be a lack of assistance, poor lighting or long queues.

Consumers are more than seven times more likely to purchase a product if they visit the fitting room, (Laney, 2016), therefore, it can be said that this part of the shopping environment is the most vital for retailers.

84% of people said they would be more inclined to shop in store if they were guaranteed an improved shopping experience, (primary research). Willow Labs can make this possible for consumers by offering a pre-booking system for the fitting rooms.

Financials and rough 2 year plan.

2.0.Management Structure

Cherie Dunford

Olivia Biesty

Rachel Stephen

Maisie Middleton

Lucy Bedford

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3.0. Business Introduction

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3.1. Company Overview The fashion industry is constantly adapting to its ever-changing consumer, however, the in-store fitting room environments have stayed the same.

According to Mintel, digital screens are the most sought after in-store innovation. They are wanted across all ages, with 20% of over 55’s interested in digital screens (Mintel, 2017).

It can be difficult trying clothes on in-store when the changing room is poorly lit, nowhere to hang your clothes and the lack of a seat. Instead of having to keep leaving the fitting room for different sizes it would be more convenient to request from in the room.

- Male over 65 (Mintel, 2017)

In addition to this, half of women under 45 struggle with fit (Mintel, 2017) and would be interested in trying a digital body measuring device. This research has shown innovation would be welcomed in the fitting rooms. The three USP’s that Willow Labs offers are a body scanning service to perfect each individuals fit, an interactive mirror with a variety of unique services and finally, personalisation unlike any other shopping experience available in the market.

As companies such as Ralph Lauren and Reformation have found success in the US market with innovative technology, Willow Labs aims to penetrate the UK High Street Market, offering a unique package-based system with added extras available to it’s clients.

3.2. Mission Statement

Willow Labs is revolutionising the UK high street shopping environment. We eliminate inconvenience, simplify purchasing and customise the fitting room experience.

3.0. Business Introduction

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3.3. Aim and Objectives AIM Develop an interactive fitting room environment for high street retailers, which enhances the shopping experience for it’s customers.

OBJECTIVES • Explore the current market and analyse key competitors in the fashion industry.

• Evaluate consumer perspectives through the use of primary research, and identify their needs in relation to the fitting room environment.

• Develop a business and financial strategy that will maximise the brands market penetration.

• Utilise relevant business models and theories in relation to marketing and technology to support the business strategy.

3.0. Business Introduction

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3.4. OAK Labs Founded in 2015, (oaklabs.is), Oak Labs Incorporated is a retail innovation company based in San Francisco. Founded by eBay’s Retail Innovation division, the team is made up of people from both retail, e-commerce and technology industries.

Figure.. www.oaklabs.is, 2017 The company currently offer interactive fitting room mirrors to the US market, existing features include; RFID and NFC, LED Lighting, touch control and HD screens. The company obtained $4.1 million in seeding funds in a joint venture with Wing Venture Capital (techcrunch.com, 2015) and began piloting it’s interactive mirror in Ralph Lauren’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue, NYC. A key feature of the smart fitting rooms is that shoppers can complete their purchase on the screen before leaving the fitting room, eliminating the need to queue at the till.

4.0. Product Development

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4.1. Aesthetics When considering the three main highstreet retailers (Topshop, M&S and Whistles), a moodboard has been created for each retailer, indicating the different aesthetics for each brand. For Topshop, it is recommended the retailer opts for a spacious, bright environment with colour schemes such as pastels and neutrals along with rose gold hardware. For Whistles, the greycale colour schemes, illunminatious lighting and luxe carpeting would reflect their simplistic brand identity. For M&S, it is recommended to use a monochrome colour palette with gold detailing, highlighting the sophisication and history of the brand.

Figure.. Willow Labs Inspiration Pinterest Board

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Figure.. Topshop Fitting Room Moodboard

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Figure.. Whistles Fitting Room Moodboard

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Figure.. M&S Fitting Room Moodboard

1 The comupter adided designs featured in figures ...... Demonstarte the lab and it’s features. Preliminary designs were created with partner Topshop in mind.

The lab features in the designs are as follows; LED light built into the mirror, speakers built into the mirror, large bench space for physical comfort, two way wardrobe accessible to both customers and staff and finally, the interactive mirror itself.

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1 4.2. Features The features of the Willow Labs fitting room have been accumulated using extensive primary and secondary research. The combination of researching the current market and consumer’s perspectives has given Willow Labs the ability to offer new, innovative features for customers to get the most out of their shopping experience.

Figure… below identifies the ’base package’ features that Willow Labs offer to highstreet retailers. Within the base package, all retailers will recieve multiple lighting options, an interative mirror, RFID technology, mulitple language options and booking systems within their fitting room update.

Figure.. Willow Labs Base Package As demonstrated in fig..., consumers most desired feature was multiple lighting options. It is suggested that 77% of consumers experience ’unflattering lighting’ within the fitting room. Not only can unflattering fitting room lighting cause clothing to look different, it could also result in physical insecurities for the customer, making them less likely to buy from the retailer (1000 Bulbs, 2017).

The Willow Labs fitting rooms will give consumers the opportunity to change the lighting to different settings including .........

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Figure.. Questionnaire Results: Desired Fitting Room Features

Figure.. Questionnaire Results: Fitting Room Experiences The interactive mirror within the base package includes digital assistants, allowing the consumers to talk to the mirror when asking for assistance or a size exchange. As Supriya Chaudhury (2017), Chief Marketing Officer at Clavis Insight, emphasises “We’re seeing the beginnings of voice-generated purchase.

Our lives and our shopping activities are about to be overrun with virtual — or as some say, digital — assistants”. Additionally, the multiple language options give consumers the option to change language setting to up to 30 different languages (See Appendix ..).

1 The RFID Technology and booking system within the base package allows retailers to digitally connect to stock count and consumer’s activity. When asked about the different technological features that could benefit the Topshop fitting rooms, Participant …. (2017) quoted “I would say sorting stock loss is the main thing. If there was a way to reduce the time taken to count everyone’s items that would be great.”. This is emphasised by Writer (2015), “The changing, or fitting rooms are the hub of most theft activity that occurs in clothing departments, or clothing stores in general”. The RFID technology embedded into the Willow Lab’s fitting room system will help maintain stock levels at an efficient pace for retailers, as well as helping monitor stock loss within highstreet retailer’s fitting rooms. Additionally, the ability to use an online booking systems as a way to book changing rooms in advance will help to observe consumer’s activity and reduce overall queuing time for As well as the base package, Willow Labsthe offer retailers the option to customers. add additional features to their fitting room experience. Figure… demonstrates the five additonal add on features Willow Labs offer to highstreet retailers. The body scanner enables consumers to scan their body shape, using a system embeded into the interactive mirror. Once scanned, the mirror will suggest product styles best suited to the customer’s body shape. Helping customers find the right size faster is a clear benefit, along with helping to reduce the return rate from 50% to 20% among 400,000 users (Bain, 2015).

Although not essential in a fast-fashion retailer such as Topshop, this feature could be beneficial to a more luxurious highstreet retailer such as Whistles.

Figure.. Willow Labs Add On Features

1 Elements such as the in-room purchasing and home delivery service provide retailers with the option to combine both the fitting room and purchasing experience. The ability to purchase your products within the fitting room creates convenience for the customer, as well as eliminating the time spent queuing at the tills. As Morley (2017) states “By getting rid of tills and staff, retailers will be able to cut costs at a time when they are seeing their margins squeezed as a result of the falling value of the pound and rising commodity prices.”.

Additionally, Hendriksz (2014) argues that fashion and apparel stores have the longest queue lengths, with the average shopping trip including 20.2 minutes of queuing time. As well as in-room purchasing, Willow Labs offer retailers the option of home delivery. The home delivery add on enables brands to offer consumers a home delivery option, which can we delivered within one hour. At first, this will be restricted to customers with delivery addresses within 3 miles Additional elements of the ‘add on’ features include music and temperature of the store. control. Although not essential to the purchasing journey, these features will reflect the brand’s identity and culture within their store environment. This feature allows customers to change the temperature of the fitting room to their desired taste. Additionally, the ability to control music creates a fun and creative environment for consumers to interact with whilst trying on items. As each lab is built stand alone, the music will not escape the non-resonant walls of the fitting room. Retailers will also have the control to limit the volume to their preference.

1 4.3. Benefits 4.4. Innovative Technology Willow Labs offer innovative, high-tech features to display graphics and operate a built-in scanning system. As O’Shea (2017) quotes, “New technologies continue to reshape retail in interesting and unexpected ways.”. The ability to interact with mirrors within the fitting room has been around internationally over the past few years. However, Willow Labs will provide retailer’s with new, innovative features such as temperature control and online booking systems, never seen before on the highstreet.

RFID (radio frequency identification) is a system which uses electromagnetic waves to identify and track tags attached to products in stores. A significant advantage of RFID devices is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely next to the scanner (Technovegy, 2017). As Inditex, one of the world’s largest retailers explain, “the garment's ID is recorded on a chip inside the security alarm, which makes distribution more efficient and in-store garment management more accurate, improving overall customer service standards.”. As demonstrated in figure…, the Willow Labs fitting rooms will contain RFID technology at the entrance, tracking each item entering and exiting the fitting rooms. As participant A, a Topshop fitting room assistant suggested, “Any technology that would prove what people are taking in and out of the fitting rooms would be really beneficial”.

RFID Tag RFID Tag Chip and on all Product products in Code store Figure.. Willow Labs RFID Fitting Room Technology

RFID system inbuilt into fitting room entrance

1 4.3. Benefits Increase of sales: from research it is clear that the key part of the purchasing stage is made in the fitting room. “Shoppers who use fitting rooms are seven times more likely to buy products compared to those who only browse the sales floor” (Laney, 2016).

Reduced return rate: consumers will take the time to decide if the garment is right for them, as Laney said “if a customer doesn’t visit a fitting room it doubles the likelihood of the customer returning their purchase” (Laney, 2016).

In addition, the full body scanner will suggest the perfect fit for customers based on their shape and size. This, along with styling options will increase the likelihood that when the customer leaves with their purchase, the chance of return will be reduced.

Customisation is a large driver for the fashion industry with 59% of people stating that personalisation influences their shopping decision, (Laney, 2016).

This fitting room allows customers to adapt the lighting, temperature, play their own music via Bluetooth and even links the customer’s name to the changing room, so that “Willow” the artificial intelligence, can speak to the customer using their first name.

Theft has become an issue for many high street retailers, including our target partner Topshop, “people have so many ways of stealing [via fitting rooms] if there was a scanning system that would “know” what was in the fitting room, then this would be beneficial”. As the RFID takes care of scanning each item, retailers can rest assured that stock loss would decrease as product activity is closely monitored.

Other benefits include, a simple booking system allowing all customers to feel they can access a fitting room and avoid a long wait, two-way wardrobe and item request via mirror, and finally the consumer has the opportunity to take what is regarded as an “instagrammable moment” of their experience, in other words, an aesthetically pleasing snap shot that would be posted across social media, further pushing awareness for the retailer.

5.0. Market Analysis

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5.1. Initial Market Analysis “Londoners were found to be the most "enthusiastic" about new retail technologies, followed by UK consumers in the North West. Respondents from this area were the most keen to see biometric payments, mobile payments, smart fitting room and touchscreen technologies in store.”

(Vivian Hendriksz, 2016).

The Barclay New Retail Reality Report highlights that 63% of UK consumers are still committed to shopping in physical stores rather than online as they prefer to physically see the product before purchase (Sandra Halliday, 2016).

However, these consumers want retailers to incorporate the technological element into the shopping experience through the implementation of smart fitting rooms, touchscreen technology and virtual reality. Figures show that 57% of consumers are more likely to visit a store if the store has smart fitting rooms and 48% said they are keen to adopt new payment methods (Vivian Hendriksz, 2016).

5.2. Willow Lab’s Market Research “Shoppers who use fitting rooms are almost 7 times more likely to buy products compared to those who simply browse the sales floor.” (Brian Laney, 2016).

Willow Lab’s is combining technological innovation with the in store experience to bridge the gap between high street and online offering through the development of accessible smart fitting rooms.

Through extensive secondary research, the length of time a customer spends in the fitting room plays a critical part in the purchase of a product. Data highlights that “The industry average for amount of time spent in fitting rooms is 5 minutes and 45 seconds” (Brian Laney, 2016). In 2016, AlertTech writer, Brian Laney identified three key points of interest (KPI), justifying the reasoning behind the low average time spent in the fitting room.  Customer Engagement: If your sales associates aren’t engaging the shopper on the sales floor, they’ll be more likely to try on fewer items (as well as less likely to visit the fitting room in the first place).  Fitting Room Service: Once in the fitting room, a customer who isn’t offered help with additional sizes may quickly re-dress and leave. Or, if your store is notorious for poor fitting room service, they may take multiple sizes and styles into the fitting room so that they won’t have to redress.  Lack of Physical Comfort: Too hot, too cold, too cramped, poor lighting or mirrors – these are just a few of the challenges with physical comfort in the fitting room, and any one of them can cause a customer to beat a hasty retreat. (Brian Laney, 2016).

1 Willow Lab’s have relinquished these KPI’s through the array of features that the fitting rooms will have, found in Chapter _ Page _.

“While shopping in-store I usually like to be left to my own devices and in-store tablets would be ideal. Self-service tills or a staff member with a tablet can make shopping in-store more expedient.” – Over-65-yearold C2 male (Mintel, 2017).

A Mintel trend, Who Needs Humans?, has highlighted the ideology that consumers are keen to embrace new technology if it creates a more efficient, easier and quicker shopping experience, even if it means removing human interaction. Figures _ and _ highlight the key features consumers want to see in the retail stores with fitting rooms with touchscreen mirrors amounting to 28%.

This highlights there is demand for Willow Lab’s technology.

Figure _ What consumers would like to see in their ideal store, June 2017.

Figure _ Interest in innovations when shopping in-store and online, January 2017.

1 5.3. Target Market: “Clothing retailers need to understand the importance of the fitting Summary

room, particularly for women who want to make sure that clothes fit well and flatter them. It is therefore important to provide fitting rooms that have good lighting and multiple-angle mirrors, as well as music and images to create an enjoyable environment.” (Mintel, 2015).

The technology used to create Willow Lab’s already exists within the luxury market, predominantly in the USA. This data indicates a gap in the market within the UK high street to implement this technology. Willow Lab’s is targeting mass-market retailers in a bid to bring accessible technology to the UK high street. Through analysing competitor technology within the UK luxury market, it is clear that Willow Lab’s will be the first company to introduce the high-tech fitting rooms to the mass market retail industry, with additional and innovative features which will complement the busier retail environment.

Willow Lab’s technology is targeting Topshop, Whistles and Marks & Spencer.

The justification behind this is to reach a wide consumer demographic as research findings suggest all consumer age groups are wanting new technology within the retail environment. The concept of touch screen mirrors within the fitting room was found to be more popular with men, rather than women. 38% of male shoppers aged 25-44 wanted to see interactive mirrors which compared to only 30% of female shoppers in this age demographic. 53% of women suggested bringing tablets into the fitting room as a way of requesting additional sizes/ colours as a way to ease the process of trying items on (Mintel, 2017). The younger demographic had the highest percentage highlighting the demand for retailers within the mass market sector to embrace new technology, see Figure _ (Mintel, 2017). 20% of women ages under 25 wanted the option to pay using your smartphone, whilst in the store. This links to 32% of shoppers wanting to minimise in store queues (Mintel, 2015). By implementing smartphone checkout, shoppers would not need to queue for the checkout, again, minimising the need for human interaction. This research indicates the modern consumer is looking for innovative ways of making shopping more efficient, minimising the need for human interaction.

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Figure _ Consumers that would like to see fitting rooms with touchscreen mirrors in-store by age and gender, June 2007.

1 5.4. Primary Research Results

1 5.5. Competitor Analysis Benefits: social media engagement- taking and sharing images from within the fitting rooms. 30% young women ages 15-24 share photos of themselves in new clothes. 36% get fashion inspiration from those people. Topshop especially could benefit from this interest of taking and sharing photos.

Many retailers are introducing smart technology into the retail environment through the use of tablets and virtual reality. Through extensive secondary research, Willow Lab’s technology is primarily used in the USA and within the luxury market. Competitor analysis has been carried out for three different brands; Burberry UK, Reformation USA and Amazon Go USA. Burberry: -The London Regent Street store features ‘Burberry World Live’, described by Angela Ahrendts, Burberry’s Chief Executive Officer “Burberry Regent Street brings our digital world to life in a physical space for the first time, where customers can experience every facet of the brand through immersive multimedia content, exactly as they do online. Walking through the doors is like walking into our website. It is Burberry world live” (Nick Batten, 2012).

-The technology used is RFID (radio frequency identification) microchipping, woven into the fabric. When wearing the garment, the customer can look into the fitting room mirror and it will transform into a digital screen, showing the customer what the product looks like on the catwalk. The screens also provide more information on the product (Mintel, 2015).

Reformation: -Reformation, San Francisco, introduced large touch screens on the shop floor where customers can browse items that are not in the showroom, enabling the fitting rooms to take up more retail space.

-The fitting rooms include a touch screen interactive mirror, ‘Magic Wardrobe’, adjustable lighting and music.

-The ‘Magic wardrobe’ connects to a monitor, enabling customers to request different sizes and styles, having it bought to them by an assistant. Customers are notified when the products are in the wardrobe.

-It is to create seamlessness, ease, convenience, and comfort (Goldberg, 2017).

Amazon Go: -Amazon Go creates a shopping experience where there is no checkout required.

-It uses the same technology as self-driving cars.

-The sensors on each product detect what you have picked up, adding it to your online shopping cart, allowing customers to automatically check out when they walk out the store (Huang, 2017).

-https://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2017/04/amazon-go-grocerystore-details/

6.0. Marketing Strategy

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A marketing strategy is adopted by companies to clearly define how they intend to market their brand, product and services by targeting either existing or potential new customers (Posner, 2015).

The first step in devising a marketing strategy for Willow Labs would be to define the marketing objectives Willow Labs is trying to achieve. This has been done by setting out principle strategic targets and a time frame to help achieve them.

A marketing mix was therefore undertaken during the preliminary stages, as it is instrumental in creating a unified approach to the business and marketing.

6.1. Marketing Mix The marketing mix helps Willow Labs set a strategic framework that could be used to help define key factors that would be included when forming the marketing strategy. It is a common misconception to consider fashion as a product based industry, however, it could also be viewed as a service-based or people-based industry and that is why Willow Labs has undertaken the 7 P’s when formulating a marketing strategy (Posner, 2015).

6.1.1. Product The product is a smart, interactive, touch screen fitting room mirror. It is the technological solution in tracking products from trying them on in the changing room to completing the purchase, by monitoring every step in between (Lumb, 2016). This would include exploring product and styling recommendations, digitally seeking assistance from store associates and personalising the changing room experience.

Willow labs offers a base package which includes the interactive mirror, multiple lighting options, RFID technology, booking systems and multiple language options.

Retailers can choose to customise their base package by opting for additional features, at an additional cost. These would include the body scanner, which would provide more personalised styling options to the customer, temperature control, in-room purchasing, home delivery or music control.

6.0. Marketing Mix

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6.1.2. Price The product will be pitched to the UK High Street at £18,000 each. The price will be reduced for larger orders to take advantage of purchasing economies of scale. For example, when a partnered retailer buys tens mirrors, they will get 3% off the total cost. The service also includes a monthly maintenance fee of £50 per mirror per month. Retailers can also opt to sign a five year contract and pay £7,000 to £10,000 a year.

6.1.3. Place

Willow Labs is currently present in the US under its parent company - Oak Labs.

Willow Labs will be launched into the UK high street, primarily in its partnered retailer’s flagship stores.

Trade fair and exhibition To increase brand awareness Willow Labs will have showrooms in key trade fairs and exhibitions, these would include Pure in London and Premiere Vision in Italy.

Showroom Since Willow Labs is a B2B service, typically involving a larger investment, prospective clients would like to have the option to see and feel the service to get a better understanding of how the mirror works. Willow Labs will therefore have a showroom in London, where the UK head office would operate from.

Digital and online platforms Digital and online platforms would include a Willow Labs website and social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest.

6.1.4. Promotion Oak Labs would build brand awareness by using various omni-channel promotional tools to communicate and entice customers to use the service provided and increase brand awareness. (See fig… for website design) The promotional strategy was divided into three phases where different tools were adopted to increase brand awareness gradually. (See Table..)

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PreLaunch

Willow Labs would create tailored content which would be featured on all the company’s social media platforms a week ahead of the launch date. This content would primarily be in the form of blog posts and video content. The content would consist of how the new changing room experience would change the way you shop on the high street, styling tips, a like for like journey along the Willow Labs process.

This video content would also be shared on all partnered retailers social media pages. Key influencers would be chosen for different retailers to push on their social.

For examples, we have illustrated which influencers we would use for one of the partnered retailers: Topshop: Sarah Ashcroft, The Confetti Crowd Adverts would be pushed on social media targeting the age groups from between 18-55 in key demographics localities. These ads would be created on adsespresso for Facebook and Instagram.

During Launch

A launch event would be held in partnered retailer’s flagship store. Where key influencers, industry members, press members and a select few loyal consumers would be invited to experience the interactive changing room experience for themselves. The event would be a highly innovative and interactive experience which would include touch screen photo/gif booths, catering and meet and greets.

Key points in the event would be streamed live on Facebook, twitter and Instagram.

Key influencers would be handpicked for each of our target audience to promote the service on their platforms and show their users how they could benefit from our service.

In order to maintain interest about Willow Labs, we would run competitions with the partnered retailers. These would be offering free styling services, makeovers, a lucky draw or discount incentives.

Post Launch

According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising (Whitler, 2014).

Re-targeted ads would be the predominant form of paid advertising on social media. We would re-target audiences that have purchased with our partnered retailers and their like for like audience and offer them discount incentives if they used our services. This could help create noise around the service and what it has to offer.

1 6.1.5. Process “In combination with a great product, process builds trust, loyalty and repeat custom.” (Posner, 2015) Willow Lab’s process is centred around giving the customer an enhanced high street shopping experience. From interaction with the mirror, to the checkout process, the technology helps ease the changing room process (Townsend, 2017).

The technology isn’t designed to replace human interaction, the CEO of Oak Labs states “We want to make their jobs easier, make them more effective”.

For a more detailed customer journey, see Appendix _.

6.1.6. Physical Evidence The AI technology will be called Willow and works on the principle of AI driven ecommerce. For example Siri, Alexa and Google Home.

The AI software will be at the core of the interactive changing room experience and would be embedded within the mirror. This will allow the customer to control the way s/he interacts with the mirror and how as a result the consumer experiences an enhanced shopping experience.

The in-store decor, ambience, signage and design will be reflective of the partnered retailer, see Appendix _.

The facilities Willow Labs would offer would be reflective of the package the partnered retailer decides to go ahead with, see Appendix _.

1 6.1.7. People “It is important to view fashion as a retail and service experience. People add value along the entire length of the supply chain and are of course, integral to the service provided by any company. People should therefore be considered as a vital part of the marketing mix.” (Posner, 2015).

Target Audience: Since Willow Labs is a B2B service, our target audience would depend on our client’s target demographic.

Staff: The team at Willow Labs currently consists of fifteen members who run the research and development, design and product, and technical officers.

To maintain a human touch to this enhanced changing room experience, each fitting room would be equipped with an ‘ask for assistance’ button and a member of staff would be waiting to assist.

Partners/ Stakeholders:

9.0. Operational Strategy

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Just In Time Manufacturing “Just-in-time (JIT) is an inventory strategy companies employ to increase efficiency and decrease waste by receiving goods only as they are needed in the production process, thereby reducing inventory costs. This method requires producers to forecast demand accurately. This inventory supply system represents a shift away from the older just-in-case strategy, in which producers carried large inventories in case higher demand had to be met.” (Staff, 2017).

Benefits: -Production times are short.

-Product flexibility.

-Reduces cost.

-Eliminates warehouse storage.

-Reduces shrinkage.

-Saves money on raw materials.

-Smaller Investment needed.

Disadvantages: -Potential for time delays if one part of the supply chain fails.

-Knock on effect.

Why are we choosing to use Just In Time?

-A smaller investment is needed as stock is ordered when it’s needed and products are manufactured only when ordered. This will help maintain a healthy cash flow. There will not be a need for a warehouse as the finished product can be delivered directly to the customer, further eliminating costs.

Production Management philosophy: “Do it right the first time (DRIFT) is a theory from managerial accounting that relates to just-in-time (JIT) inventory (where a company only receives goods as they are needed to cut down on inventory costs) and production management.

The idea behind DRIFT is that management wants all of the processes that make up the JIT philosophy to be done correctly and efficiently so there are no delays in the production process.” (Staff, 2017). https://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jit.asp#ixzz4yuNG8IUg https://babington.co.uk/blog/accounting/just-in-time-advantages-anddisadvantages/

1 Sourcing Technology Product development of the AI software, which includes Willow, RFID and NFC, will be carried out in-house at the Oak Labs San Francisco headquarters and laboratory. There, the product development of the technology behind the mirror, monitor and tablets will also be conducted. After development, the technology will be transferred to the factory in Turkey for the manufacturing of the fitting rooms.

Suppliers The main bulk of sourcing will be from China and Turkey for the various components. To justify the choice of countries, a PEST analysis was undertaken, see Appendix _.

Novawood, Turkey: Address: Gerede Organize Sanayi Bolgesi No: 101-2 Gerede-Bolu, Turkey.

Novawood will be used for the sourcing of sustainable wood, the core material for the production the fitting room shell, doors, flooring and the two-way wardrobes. The manufacturing of the fitting room will also be undertaken by Novawood before being shipped to the customers store.

Additional components will be sourced from HK AA Industrial Co. Limited in China. This includes coat hangers, door knobs and locks. Direct cargo shipping the components from Shenzhen, China to Novawood, Turkey will take approximately 15 days. Components will be added onto the fitting room pod at Novawood, Turkey before being shipped to the customers store within the UK. The HD touch screens mirrors will be sourced and manufactured to the Willow Lab specification by Zytronic, UK. Zytronic are “The global leaders in providing touch solutions that are incredibly durable and exceptionally responsive” ( http://zytronic.co.uk/about-us/). Once manufactured, the mirrors will be transported, via truck, to the customers store where it will be installed into the previously delivered, fitting room pod.

This would be in accordance with the CIF agreement. “Cost, insurance and freight (CIF) is a trade term requiring the seller to arrange for the carriage of goods by sea to a port of destination, and provide the buyer with the documents necessary to obtain the goods from the carrier.” (Investopedia).

1 Sustainability and Ethics Willow labs is looking to produce stores which will downsize, optimise the way retailers use technology in store and focus on creating an enhanced customer experience (Black 2017).

The Willow Labs product will be manufactured using JIT Manufacturing, helping to reduce wastage through sustainable manufacturing. The sourcing of materials for the fitting rooms will be using sustainable wood, along with recycled materials for the various components like the glass and flooring.

Willow Lab’s carbon footprint will be reduced through the use of “delivery riders”, instead of “delivery drivers”. Products will be delivered to the customer by an employee on a bicycle.

The option to pay using plastic money, along with the ability to email receipts, is another part of the Willow Labs initiative to reduce the paper footprint.

Recycled paper will be used if customers choose to print their receipt.

10.0. Financial Overview

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11.0. Business Goals

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12.0. Conclusion

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13.0. References

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O’Shea, D., (2017), 5 technologies reshaping retail in 2017, Retail Dive, available at: https://www.retaildive.com/news/5-technologies-reshaping-retail-in-2017/433954/ (accessed 12th November 2017) Chaudhury, S., (2017), 5 technologies reshaping retail in 2017, Retail Dive, available at: https://www.retaildive.com/news/5-technologies-reshaping-retail-in-2017/433954/ (accessed 12th November 2017) 1000 Bulbs, (2017), Dressing Room Lighting and Perception, available at: https://blog.1000bulbs.com/home/dressing-room-lighting-and-perception (accessed 12th November 2017) Writer, S., (2015), Clothing Security In Fitting Rooms, Loss Prevention Systems, available at: http://www.losspreventionsystems.com/clothing-security-in-fitting-rooms/ (accessed 12th November 2017) Bain, M., (2015), Could 3D body scanning mean never entering another dressing room again?, available at: https://qz.com/497259/could-3d-body-scanning-mean-never-entering-another-dressing-room-again/ (accessed 12th November 2017) Morley, K., (2017), A quarter of shops will banish queues by 2021 as 'tap and go' technology replaces tills, Telegraph, available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/02/quarter-shops-will-banish-queues-2021-tap-go-technology-r eplaces/ (accessed 12th November 2017) Hendriksz, V., (2014), UK shoppers spend over a year waiting in store queues, Fashion United, available at: https://fashionunited.uk/news/retail/uk-shoppers-spend-over-a-year-waiting-in-storequeues/2014122914998 (accessed 12th November 2017) Inditex, (2014), Inditex deploys RFID technology in its stores, available at: https://www.inditex.com/en/article?articleId=150174&title=Inditex+implanta+la+tecnolog %C3%ADa+RFID+en+sus+tiendas (accessed 12 th November 2017) Topshop, (2017), About Us, available at: http://www.careers.topshop.com/about-us/ (accessed 12 th November 2017) Topshop (2017), Topshop at Oxford Circus, available at: http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/topshop-at-oxford-circus-6530258/home (accessed 12th November 2017) Bazaar, (2017), You can now ride a water slide inside Topshop's flagship store, available at: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/news/a41853/water-slide-topshop-oxford-circus/ (accessed 12th November 2017) M&S, (2017), About Us, available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/?intid=gf_company (accessed 20th November 2017) M&S, (2017), Half Year Results Report 2017), available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/investors/7cf2c31eaf2e48cc95cfcf59b868637e (accessed 20th

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14.0. Bibliography

Milnes, H. (2015). How tech in Rebecca Minkoff’s fitting rooms tripled expected clothing sales. Available: https://digiday.com/marketing/reb ecca-minkoff-digital-store/. Last accessed 1st November 2017.

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15.0. List of Appendices Page Gantt Chart

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Gantt Chart

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Team Protocol

Agreed terms Communicate on Whatsapp 2 or 3 meetings a week –always book a room in the library – always take minutes (and a team selfie) At the beginning of every meeting set an aim to achieve by the end and then at the end of the meeting set action points for work to be done by everyone before the next meeting Also agree responsibilities at every meeting. Responsibilities will change every week depending on what we feel we need to do that week instead of one person being in charge of one task the whole project. If someone doesn’t turn up or doesn’t do the work they need to buy coffee No leader – everyone is good at listening at each others opinions and is respectful – if there is differences in opinions we will find the majority vote

Agreed by: Maisie Middleton, Olivia Biesty, Lucy Bedford, Rachel Stephen & Cherie Dunford

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Meeting Minutes Date 5.10.17 (11.30 – 1pm) 10.10.17 (10-12pm)

1 Itinerary

- Discuss business idea - Consider market and opportunities - Brainstorming session

- Preliminary research on topic - Research into market

- Plan mission statement - Create proposal - Decide team protocol

- Practice proposal pitch - Go through potential questions - Research potential questions - Continue with secondary research into the market - Consider dragon’s feed back - Research Innovative Ideas - Research business models - Questions for survey/ primary research ideas - Research Body scanners

17.10.17 (11-1pm)

- Go through pitch and proposal plan

19.10.17 (1010:30am)

- Practice Pitch - Discuss possible questions

20.10.17 (11-1pm)

- Discuss brainstorming - Create innovative ideas for ‘add ons’

24.10.17 (10-12am)

Work till next meeting

- Create questionnaire - Brainstorm ideas and discuss findings

- Research Business models - Share questionnaire - Secondary Research

Selfie

Meeting Minutes

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Date

Itinerary

Work till next meeting

31.10.17 (12-2pm)

-Write interview questions -Delignate tasks - Write Aims and objectives

- Maisie – SWOT/PEST - Liv – TAM - Cherie – PLC - Rach – P’s/ AIDA - Lucy- Ansoff

2.11.17 (2-4pm)

- Finish interview questions - Decide sections - Discuss models

- Work on areas - Primary research

7.11.17 (3-5pm)

- Divide comparative shop - Discuss areas and research from previous week

- B2B Strategies - Observations in store

13.11.17 (11-1pm)

- Analyse comp shop - Go over areas - Talk through SWOT and PEST

- Case studies (Topshop, M & S, Whistles) - Contracts - Finish sections

15.11.17 (2-4pm)

- Go over sections and marketing strategy - Consider operational strategy - Consider long term business goals

- Maisie: survey results -Lucy: Case studies -Cherie: operational strategy -Liv: CADS -Rach: marketing

Selfie

Meeting Minutes

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Date

Itinerary

Work till next meeting

20.11.17 (11:301pm)

-Go Through Financials -Go Through Operational Strategy -Update sections and areas accordingly

-Work on financials -Collate report and read through -Work on Poster design

Â

Selfie

Questionnaire Questions

Sample Size 151 1. What is your gender?

• Female • Male 2. What is your age?

• 18-24 • 25-30 • 31-40 • 41-60 • 61+ 3. What is your occupation?

4. Where is your location?

• City • Town • Village • Rural 5. Who are your three favourite highstreet retailers?

6. Do you prefer shopping online or in store?

• Online • In-store 7. Please specify why you prefer shopping online or in store?

8. How • • • •

often do you shop on the highstreet?

Once a week 2-3 times a month Once a month A few times a year

9. When you shop in store, how often do you use the fitting rooms?

• Every time • Only if I have time • Only when there isn't a queue • Sometimes • Never

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Questionnaire Questions

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10.Which stores in your opinion have the best fitting rooms?

11.Which stores in your opinion have the worst fitting rooms?

12.Have you ever had a negative or inconvenient experience in a fitting room?

• Yes • No 13.If you need assistance in fitting rooms, would you ask?

• Always • Sometimes • Never 14.Have you every had the following experiences in a fitting room?

• Had to leave items with an assistant because you are over the store’s limit • Unflattering lighting • No assistance • Not enough hanging space • Long queues • Lack of privacy (for example gap in curtain) • Other 15.Please select the features you think would improve the fitting room experience?

• Multiple lighting options • Free wifi • Phone charging • Purchase in fitting rooms • Temperature control • Interactive mirrors • Music control • Home delivery of in-store purchases • Ability to book fitting room before arrival • Other 16.Would you be more inclined to visit a highstreet retailers if there was an improved fitting room experience?

• Yes • No

Questionnaire Results

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Topshop Fitting Room Sales Assistant Interview, Nottingham 1 1. How does your changing room experience work here? Is it like traditional changing rooms?

At Topshop we have a radio system which is okay because obviously we aren’t allowed to leave the changing rooms due to stock loss. So, we have to radio someone to get another size for us. This can be inconvenient if the shop is busy! Obviously it works, but its not efficient, especially when we have customers waiting for over 10 minutes. It would be really good if there was a digital way to fix that.

2. Do you ever think customers have trouble asking for different sizes?

I often say to them ‘let me know if you need any help’ and they don’t. Or, they will come out really nervously because they can see that I’m really busy.

3. Do you think it would be beneficial for people to purchase in the changing room as well?

I’m not sure how that would work? We get a lot of people stealing in the changing rooms. And if they say ‘well I bought it?’ then how would we know..Often, we get tags left in the changing rooms. People have so many different schemes of how to steal without us realizing. So you have to think how retailers would think about that. If you can find a way where it would reduce our stock loss, then it would be a big yes!

4. We are thinking of different technology aspects that can update the fitting room experience. What other features do you think would work in the Topshop changing rooms?

I would say sorting stock loss is the main thing. If there was a way to reduce the time taken to count everyone’s items that would be great. A lot of people hide accessories in the pockets of clothes so if there was a scanning system that would ‘know’ that it was there, that would be really useful! Any technology that would prove what people are taking in and out of the fitting rooms would be really beneficial.

5. So it would be really beneficial to have features with security features?

Yes definitely, our managers are always on our backs about security. * Shows paper sheet including a tagging system* They are very on it with checking how many tags have gone in and out of the fitting rooms.

Whistles Sales Assistant Interview, Nottingham

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Hi there, we are doing a university project about the way we shop on the highstreet and changing the fitting room experience. We are looking at creating an interactive mirror in the changing rooms with features such as digital assistants, music, pre- booking system and the ability to purchase in the fitting room. How does your fitting room system at Whistles work? And what is your view on the whole fitting room experience?

I think definitely asking for different sizes that would be something that could work for us. However, we are quite a small store so we normally have members of staff floating around anyway. Plus, it’s quite important to have interaction with the customers as well so we can offer styling advice. There is much more of a personal shopping feel in here rather than somewhere like Topshop. We do focus on the interaction – so for us it probably wouldn’t work.

Okay, thank you for the feedback! So for a store like this it would be more beneficial to have more luxury features in a fitting room?

Yes definitely. And we would also use that as a selling tool to create different suggestions!

M&S Fitting Room Sales Assistant, Nottingham

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Hi there, we are doing a university project about the way we shop on the highstreet and changing the fitting room experience. We are looking at creating an interactive mirror in the changing rooms with features such as digital assistants, music, pre- booking system and the ability to purchase in the fitting room. How do you think this would fit in into the M&S fitting room experience?

I think it would be quite expensive. We would have to set up something on our end to see what the customers are asking for. Usually, our customers tend to come out and talk to us. Our clients are older so they normally like to ask our opinions. I think it’s a great idea but I don’t know how it would be put into practice in M&S. Here, I don’t know how well it would do.

Multiple Languages Options included in the Base Package 1.

English

2.

Spanish

3.

French

4.

German

5.

Hebrew

6.

Italian

7.

Japanese

8.

Korean

9.

Mandarin

10. Cantonese 11. Arabic 12. Czech 13. Danish 14. Dutch 15. Finnish 16. Flemish 17. Greek 18. Hebrew 19. Hindi 20. Hungarian 21. Indonesian 22. Norwegian 23. Polish 24. Portuguese 25. Romanian 26. Russian 27. Slovak 28. Swedish 29. Thai 30. Turkish

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AIDA

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Awareness

Interest

Desire

Action

To partners (B2B): Awareness of this innovative fitting room will be pushed by the Willow Labs team at various trade fairs such as TexWorld and Premiere Vision. The fitting room will be set up as if it was installed in store and potential partners will be able to trail it for themselves.

From the retailer to the consumer (B2C): The fitting room will be communicated through social media in the run up to the launch of fitting room in stores. Staff will advise customers in store and mail newsletters will give consumers awareness personally.

To partners (B2B): By focusing on the advantages and benefits, the Willow Labs team will provide retailers with extensive research and knowledge surrounding the technology behind the interactive mirror. The team will dispense the potential gain a retailer might see from the use of the fitting rooms, such as sales increase, lower return rate of products, smoother procedures in store and customer satisfaction.

Retailer to consumer (B2C): Interest for the fitting room will be realistic and attainable for the consumer due to the nature of the high street market that it would be available in. An exclusive and cutting-edge experience in the consumers favourite high street stores. The enjoyable experience of trying on clothes and finally the seamless procedure in which they can purchase their garments form the room.

To partners (B2B): Retailers searching for innovation and aiming to lead the retail technology market on the high street, will find a desire to invest in the fitting rooms. Due to the amount of problems the fitting room solves, they will see the potential value of such a service.

Retailer to consumer (B2C): Customers wishing to experience a new and innovative service will see a desire to go in store, possibly before their friends and family to trail the product for themselves. When a customer experiences the service, loyalty will increase as they will have the desire to shop in this way again and again.

To partners (B2B): Actions of obtaining partners can be shown in the draft contract found in Appendix __. This contract outlines the terms for a retail partnership. The action itself could arise in places such as trade fairs, but contact can also be made to Willow Labs via the website.

Retailer to consumer (B2C): Action would be taken by the customer by purchasing their garment within the fitting room. In addition to this Willow Labs will gain 2% on each purchased item within the fitting room.

SWOT

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Strengths

Weeknesses

Increased sales and footfall Luxury brands in the US have seen increased sales and footfall from stores using increased technology in stores. Ralph Lauren saw a 90% engagement rate with interactive mirrors trialled in their flagship store in NYC (Sender, 2017).

Rebecca Minkoff’s NYC store using fitting room technology has seen increased clothing sales and consumers spending longer in store since the launch of the technology (Milnes, 2015).

Consumer prefer to shop in store Research has found that consumers still prefer to shop at their favourite retailers in store over online (81% vs 60%) (Hendriksz, 2016). This shows there is still demand for bricks and mortar stores despite growth of ecommerce.

Competitors There are currently a handful of retailers using various forms of technology in their fitting rooms. This includes Rebecca Minkoff, Reformation, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

To some consumers this technology is not brand new, however to consumers in markets other than luxury, they have not experienced this innovation.

High price Oak labs currently sell their interactive mirrors for $25,000 (this price is less when there are large orders) plus a monthly fee for the software. This is a large investment for any retailer. (Townsend, 2017).

Opportunities

Threats

Luxury market only Fitting room technology has currently been adopted only by luxury or high-end retailers and mainly in the US market. This shows there is a gap in the UK and in the high street markets to adopt new technologies in store and in particular in the fitting room.

London Research has found that Londoners are the most open to new retail technologies such as biometric payments, mobile payments, smart fitting rooms and touch screens (Hendriksz, 2016). Retailers can therefore use this enthusiasm to trial new technologies in their flagship stores in London. An estimated 9 million tourists visit Oxford street in London every year (BBC). This shows the opportunity to cater for different nationalities, shopping habits and languages.

Ecommerce Online sales continue to grow at a faster rate than in store sales. Online sales grew 18% last year and 27% over the past 2 years whereas bricks and mortar sales have fallen (Bradshaw, 2017). Also, developments of virtual fitting rooms are resolving fit and sizing issues experienced from online shopping. By eliminating one of the main barriers of ecommerce, consumers may have less reason to visit bricks and mortar stores to try on clothes (Randall, 2015).

Retailers not using Willow Labs Retailers could choose to adopt this technology without purchasing the mirrors and services from a separate business in order to minimise the costs.

PEST

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Political

Economic

Brexit The UK’s vote to leave the European Union in June 2016 has left the country in a period of uncertainty.

New trade agreements will have to be made with European and non-European countries. This will affect the fashion industry as it may make it harder for retailers to trade in other countries, which could limit growth. (Hendriksz, 2016).

Uncertainty in US Politics Political stability can affect the business environment due to the economy, supply chains and sales. With Trump as President, the US is seeing political disruption. This will make it difficult for international brands to operate in or trade with the US. This could mean that Willow Labs (a branch of the American company Oak Labs) will have difficulty using American resources such as staff or software and technology.

Exchange Rates The pound has weakened drastically against the dollar since Brexit in June 2016. With rates currently at the lowest for 8 years, it is increasing costs for businesses that trade in dollars. However, the exchange rate is positive and makes spending cheaper for American tourists in the UK.

Interest Rates The bank of England has raised interest rates for the first time since 2007, ‘in an attempt to protect British households from inflation that has risen since the Brexit vote’ (Inman & Partington, 2017).

This raise means that consumers may be less willing to spend and businesses will find it harder and more expensive to borrow money in order to invest.

UK High street Sales Sales on the UK high street are falling at the fastest rate since the 2009 due to increases in prices and higher inflation causing consumers to have less spending power (Wood, Inman & Butler, 2017). If retailers are seeing dropping sales, they may be less willing to invest in new technologies. On the other hand, they may be more willing to invest in new technology as a way of attracting consumers back into stores.

Social

Technological

Millenials and Generation Z There is now 17 million millenials in the UK, a tech savvy generation that appreciate innovative technology and are 2.5 times more likely to be early adopters of technology than older generations (Maoz, 2017). Generation Z is currently aged 12-19 and make up 9% of the UK population. Despite being young and having a lower disposable income than older generations, it has been suggested that retailers must be ready for this new generation of consumers who are the ‘first true digital natives’ and expect seamless links between in store, online and social channels as the norm (Spybey, 2016). It has been suggested both millenials and generation Z have no brand loyalty and ‘you need to give them something worth being loyal to’ (Drapers, 2017). This shows there is an opportunity to target a huge market in the UK and give them a reason to be loyal to retailers.

Ageing population Improvements in healthcare and lifestyles means the UK population are getting older. In 2016, 18% of the population was over 65 and 2.4% were 85 and over (Randall, M, 2017). This means that there is a growing market and opportunities for retailers to adapt to older consumers.

New realities Augmented reality and virtual reality can be used to improve the customer experience. AR and VR technology is becoming more accepted by consumers and adopted by retailers. The Harvard Business Review explained that these technologies can eliminate customer pain points, elevate customer service and create differentiated, personalised customer experience.

Artificial Intelligence Many people are reporting that artificial intelligence can revolutionise retail. Forbes has reported that by 2020, 85% of customer interaction in retail will be managed by AI and 30% of companies will employ AI in at least one of their primary sales processes (Arthur, 2017). Retail week found that 77% of UK consumers feel that AI can transform their shopping experience (Cooper, 2017).

CASE STUDY: Topshop Flagship Store, Oxford Street, London 1

Topshop was founded in 1964, part of the one of the largest retail groups, Arcadia. As well as having over 500 stores worldwide, Topshop.com is celebrated for being a digital leader, attracting on average over 4.5 million weekly visits. (Topshop, 2017) The Topshop UK flagship store is based on Oxford Street, London. It consists of three floors and 90,000 square foot overall. The store over 50 brands as well as it’s own, with thousands of products stocked.

Additionally, the store includes 6 beauty services and 3 food and drink services. As Topshop (2017) quote, “As our flagship, the one of the kind shopping experience sets the bar for everything we do.

Continually evolving, it’s the ultimate source for styling inspiration and the latest trends.”

Topshop continue to expand their iconic flagship store, particularly updating their in-store technology. In June, 2017, the retailer Topshop has installed a water slide into the store, transforming its window into a 360º Virtual Reality interactive pool scene.

(Bazaar, 2017) Topshop (2017) quote “We want to raise the digital bar -Always ahead of the game, we’re reinventing the way people experience fashion. On top of an unrivalled social presence we work across a huge range of digital platforms in multiple languages and currencies.”

Topshop’s continual efforts to improve digital interaction in store emphasises they are a key retailer suitable for Willow Labs.

The improvements in fitting room space in store, along with introducing interactive mirrors, will invite more consumers instore and reflect their on trend brand identity.

CASE STUDY: Marks and Spencer Flagship Store, London

Founded in 1884, M&S has grown into an international, multi-channel retailer. They sell high quality, great value products to 32 million customers throughout 914 UK stores and their e-commerce platform. (M&S, 2017) Located at Marble Arch on Oxford Street, London, the M&S Flagship store holds over 30 different departments including the main sectors womenswear, menswear, home, kidswear and food and drink.

When reviewing M&S’ position on the highstreet market, the retailer obtains a department store in every key city.

As shown in the below figure, M&S to transform 30% of all stores, modernising and updating their features, as well as keeping them refined and simplified. (M&S Half Year Results, 2017) With planned actions to update stores, this offers an opportunity for Willow Labs to support M&S in new store design, including new, interactive changing rooms.

Within the M&S Flagship store, the store includes interactive tablets including the ability to make digital shopping lists, product browsing and barcode scanning. (Warren-Payne, 2014) With the addition of interactive fitting rooms, M&S will lead with digital technology on the highstreet, particularly in the department store sector.

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