Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[circumspice]

I don't know if this belongs here, but I can not keep up with UK politics. The way Brexit is developing is absolutely crazy

"Unfolding" may have been a better choice than "developing", but I might be dating myself as I am thinking of unfolding as in a road map in that once you do it, you cannot put it back in the same state it was to begin with, and further attempts to do so only seem to make things worse

 

[styleforumfan]

I'm not sure if this is a good strategy for Nordstrom....


Nordstrom Will Let You Return Your Macy’s Online Order In Store

Nordstrom Inc. is trying a creative new approach for getting busy New York City shoppers in its doors: letting them return things they bought online -- from other retailers.

The department-store chain, which opens two “Nordstrom Local” concept stores in Manhattan this month, will accept merchandise returns from rivals like Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. in the new small-format locations, regardless of whether Nordstrom carries the same item. Returns can be a pain point for both the customer and retailer, and shoppers want a convenient way to drop off unwanted items, said Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom stores.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-you-return-your-macy-s-online-order-in-store

 

[clee1982]

sounds desperate

 

[LA Guy]

I'm not sure if this is a good strategy for Nordstrom....


Nordstrom Will Let You Return Your Macy’s Online Order In Store

Nordstrom Inc. is trying a creative new approach for getting busy New York City shoppers in its doors: letting them return things they bought online -- from other retailers.

The department-store chain, which opens two “Nordstrom Local” concept stores in Manhattan this month, will accept merchandise returns from rivals like Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. in the new small-format locations, regardless of whether Nordstrom carries the same item. Returns can be a pain point for both the customer and retailer, and shoppers want a convenient way to drop off unwanted items, said Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom stores.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-you-return-your-macy-s-online-order-in-store

Well, everyone knows the apocryphal story about a customer returning automobile chains to Nordstrom as evidence of the legendary customer service. I just c don't know if it will translate well in late 2019, when the very idea of being embarrassed of taking advantage of businesses, or frankly, embarrassment in general, has evaporated. All of the big chains suffer for a much simpler reason, I think. Their shipping sucks. Really badly. Neiman Marcus is the worst. Fulfillment often takes two or three days, and then they use the slowest form of FedEx. In a day when overnight and 2 day shipping are commonplace, that's pretty piss poor customer service. Not only that, but their chats are pretty much useless because the people handling the chats often have no product knowledge or access to the products.

Nordstrom had a pretty nice model for brick and mortar. They are trying to recreate their reputation, I think. Problem is that I don't think that they really have any idea how.

I think that a better idea would be faster fulfillment plus doing the opposite of most online. Decentralize customer service so that you get the closest Nordstrom, and assign a customer who uses chat to a specific store, even a specific number of team members. I know that at least one of our slightly larger affiliate vendors does exactly this. Personalizing the online experience. Yes, it's an investment in people and in technology, but it's not as though the current model is sustainable. I get better service from independents in pretty much every area. I can chat with Jewelers, vintage watch guys, etc... If you want the premium customers, those looking for specific things and are willing to pay retail, you are going to have to do better and give real access.

The only big brand I get great service from is Hermès, and well... That's Hermès.

 

[styleforumfan]

I don't know why Nordstrom is courting the Macy's and Kohl's crowd. Very different clientele.

 

[clee1982]

Well, everyone knows the apocryphal story about a customer returning automobile chains to Nordstrom as evidence of the legendary customer service. I just c don't know if it will translate well in late 2019, when the very idea of being embarrassed of taking advantage of businesses, or frankly, embarrassment in general, has evaporated. All of the big chains suffer for a much simpler reason, I think. Their shipping sucks. Really badly. Neiman Marcus is the worst. Fulfillment often takes two or three days, and then they use the slowest form of FedEx. In a day when overnight and 2 day shipping are commonplace, that's pretty piss poor customer service. Not only that, but their chats are pretty much useless because the people handling the chats often have no product knowledge or access to the products.

Nordstrom had a pretty nice model for brick and mortar. They are trying to recreate their reputation, I think. Problem is that I don't think that they really have any idea how.

I think that a better idea would be faster fulfillment plus doing the opposite of most online. Decentralize customer service so that you get the closest Nordstrom, and assign a customer who uses chat to a specific store, even a specific number of team members. I know that at least one of our slightly larger affiliate vendors does exactly this. Personalizing the online experience. Yes, it's an investment in people and in technology, but it's not as though the current model is sustainable. I get better service from independents in pretty much every area. I can chat with Jewelers, vintage watch guys, etc... If you want the premium customers, those looking for specific things and are willing to pay retail, you are going to have to do better and give real access.

The only big brand I get great service from is Hermès, and well... That's Hermès.

How about green wallet...wait that wasn’t you...

 

[bamgrinus]

I don't know why Nordstrom is courting the Macy's and Kohl's crowd. Very different clientele.

Might mean they think they need to build a market with aspirational shoppers. With Barney's collapsing they might just think that the typical luxury shopper isn't going to sustain them.

 

[cb200]

Pushing everyone to shop online has made in store traffic more valuable. Maybe Nordstrom is looking at any foot traffic as good traffic. Last time I was in I noticed they had a popup shop-in shop with product from the LA shop Union. Not quite the audience I thought they had, but gotta get new people in to your shop.

 

[clee1982]

Nordstorm and Barneys are different level though, at least in NYC

 

[bamgrinus]

Nordstorm and Barneys are different level though, at least in NYC

Yeah, I suppose there's a difference between a high end department store and a luxury store. But there are a lot of places where Nordstrom is about as expensive as you're going to find locally.

 

[dieworkwear]

lol

 

[gdl203]

She didn't mention CHANELy so there's that

 

[gdl203]

I also hate it when all those people talk about NO MAN WALKS ALONE-ish jackets. Leave our iconic name alone, people. Ugh

 

[dieworkwear]

No Man Walks A Lonely

 

[LA Guy]

I don't know why Nordstrom is courting the Macy's and Kohl's crowd. Very different clientele.

I don't know about Kohl's either, but I think that there is a lot of overlap between Macy's and Nordstrom customers and merchandise mix. I wonder if they will accept returns from Bloomingdales. That's part of the Macy's group, iirc, and probably the closest direct competitor.