Helping a true blue classic modernize its wholesale showroom business

Ralph Lauren’s European wholesale business revolves around a physical showroom experience with seasonal release events twice a year. While this is a familiar ritual to retail fashion buyers, the ways of working in the showroom were time-consuming, manual, and growing rapidly out of date in a world rapidly moving to digital automation.

Ralph’s buyers were regularly running out of time and inventory before completing their pre-planned purchases for the season. Realizing their clients were literally leaving money on the table, I set out to help modernize the ways of working in the showroom while amplifying the excitement of a new release season. 

RESEARCH & OBSERVATION

A week in the showroom provided an unfiltered first-hand view of what Ralph's sales team and their client buyers were really experiencing.

The showroom featured cramped corridors, wrinkled piles of merchandise, paper-heavy wokflows, and sales reps who relied on their own homegrown workarounds to help their buyers.

Mapping out the current experience

Research was captured in a journey map illustrating the end-to-end experience with a focus on key areas for improvement.

Personas further highlighted needs, behavior and frustrations. This combination of research artifacts ensured new innovations would honor and empower the customer.

Workshopping new innovation opportunities

I brought client stakholders together from across the business, mixing front line sales representatives with tenured senior executives in a day of sharing and "blue sky" creative activites.

This innovation workshop generated scores of new ideas that would serve to better engage the customer and solve process problems while properly honoring this iconic brand. 

Constructing the new service bluebrint

Innovative ideas from the workshop were constructed into a cohesive blueprint with specific focus placed on how new digital products, services, platforms and processes could support a next level customer experience in the showroom.

Visualizing the journey

In order to turn vision to reality, I set out to create a compelling visual narrative of the new service model.

Quantifying the value of digital transformation

The estimated value of new innovation was projected to return £15M in the first year alone. This figure was easily achieved by enabling buyers to self-serve ahead of open market, by using aggregate client data to predict purchasing decisions, and through the automation of key workflows. By eliminating time spent doing arduous tasks, the new showroom would leave abundant opportunity for deeper brand engagement and relationship building.