Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the best customer experience of them all?

River Island’s Style Studio launched just 6 months ago, offering an in-store customer experience that's hard to beat... even in the highly competitive fast fashion industry. Headed by Giles Farnham, the brand boasts two gorgeous studios, one in London’s flagship Oxford Street store and the other in the Bullring, Birmingham.

Armed with a love of all things omni-channel, we (the marketing pandas) took a morning out of the office to visit this new and exciting example of strategic goodness right in the heart of London. 

Embracing omni-channel strategy and delighting customers 

Imagine an opulent bar, luxurious sofas, a magic mirror and fitting rooms big enough to swing your handbag (or your man bag) in …

“It’s all about creating theatre within the store environment”, Giles tells us. In this competitive retail landscape, businesses need to “create a destination” that motivates people to visit and return.

“This room opens conversations”, he states, highlighting the virality of an experience within the studio. The word of mouth and online visibility it creates in itself is a great way to acquire new customers. At this early stage, the room is already helping to reach out and engage a whole new audience – from mothers’ groups to ladies within the 60+ age range and even celebrities like Maisie Williams. “It’s challenging peoples’ perceptions of the brand and pushing our product lines in front of people who never thought to consider River Island before”.

In-store technologies such as the magic mirror further enhance the experience and encourage higher levels of social sharing; shoppers can not only view their reflection, but they can also record a short video of themselves in all outfits trialled. A hashtag for the recording can be created; a must for social sharing and tracking.

The in-store customer experience: it's all about acquisition and retention

But it’s not all about acquisition. It’s also about enhancing the brand experience for existing customers. In fact, the Style Studio provides River Island enthusiasts with even more choice and control over the experience that they want to have with the brand – a key element of any good omni-channel strategy. 

What’s more, this offline initiative allows the brand to access a wealth of valuable data – from the online booking stage right through to the styling session and beyond. 

Put simply: the style studio is offering high street customers an offline experience that can’t be beat. In this day and age, that can only be a good thing. When it comes to a ‘choose your own shopping experience’, River Island well and truly has it covered. 

Big thanks to Giles for taking the time to chat with us.

If your wardrobe is in desperate need of some new season style and you're ready to be pampered, visit the River Island website and book yourself a style studio session! Enjoy!