M&S targets bra category growth with new digital tool for fittings

Barbara Santamaria

Опубликовано
25 февр. 2020 г.

Women in the UK have been going to M&S stores for its bra fitting service for many years, and the retailer is now digitising a part of the process to improve the customer experience.

A new digital tool has been unveiled for the complimentary service, with customers encouraged to sign up to book appointments, receive reminders and get follow-up emails with product recommendations.

The tool is linked to M&S’s Sparks card, making it easier for customers to access all their details and eliminating the need to keep booking emails.

The M&S team has also created a version of the booking tool for the digital devices used by store colleagues, so that staff can quickly and easily book appointments for customers shopping in store.

Importantly, bringing customer communication into the digital age will mean M&S can send post-appointment emails for women who want to make a repeat purchase. The department store said research has shown women are very loyal to bra shapes and styles – be that plunge, balcony or full cup – and it’s cheaper to increase customer retention than acquiring new customers.

Additionally, the digital tool will collect customer data such as shoppers’ size and preferences. This will be good for customers as it removes the need to hold on to bra packaging or the bit of paper from the appointment, but it will also be beneficial to M&S, which can use the data to suggest personalised products. 

Ultimately, the retailer can also use the information to improve availability of bras and support the work of its buying teams.

Laura Charles, director of lingerie for M&S said: “With 1 in 3 women wearing an M&S bra it’s our ultimate wardrobe essential and we’re excited that this tool will help us improve the shopping experience for our customers. Offering us better access to data can ultimately help us grow our market leading bra share.” 

Amanda Glover, digital change manager, added: “Tech is creating so many opportunities for all areas of retail which is really exciting. For M&S it is helping us develop solutions for our customers that make shopping with us easier and more convenient. We’re really proud to be developing retail tech that is industry leading – such as this bra fit tool.  We know that nearly 90% of customers buy a bra after a bra fit, but sometimes they don’t want to do it there and then, so this is an ideal solution.”

Marks & Spencer is hoping the new tool will help it grab a bigger share of the bra market. It currently has a market share of 37.5%.