“Before, we would often have to send customers to a nearby store if we didn’t have their size or a specific style in stock,” says Helena Schelle Hardlei, Digital Retail Manager at Jack & Jones. “In doing so, we were inadvertently sending them to our competitors.”
The answer was large, 42-inch interactive screens in the stores. Powered by Touchtech’s InStore app, they give customers and staff an endless aisle of more than 4,000 styles. “This is not a competitor to our stores,” Helena emphasizes. “This is the future for our stores to gain extra sales and really just never saying no to our customers.”
The results speak for themselves. In the top-performing stores, sales are up 15%. Across the top markets the uplift averages 8%, and across all 600+ stores in more than ten markets, 5%. It’s no wonder they call it their money machine.
Complete outfits at the screen
The screens have become part of how the stores sell. “By standing here with the customer, having an open dialog, we can complete full outfits by using AI to style based on the product that we are looking for,” says Helena. Customers find what they came for and buy more with it: more items, and bigger baskets.
What used to take several trips between the fitting rooms, the shop floor and the till now takes a scan: a product’s barcode brings up every size, color and styling suggestion. The app also runs on iPads, so staff can help customers anywhere in the store while the screen is busy.
The bigger the better
The 42-inch size was a deliberate choice. “The bigger the better,” Helena notes. “It’s all about creating awareness.” Between searches the screens play video that draws customers in. “I don’t think anyone can’t see the screen,” she adds, so even on busy days customers can browse on their own until someone is free.
The turnover goes to the stores
Technology alone is not enough; the business model matters as much. “All the turnover goes to the stores while paying a small fee to our e-commerce,” Helena reveals. The store staff see InStore as their own tool, and use it. Jack & Jones sees it as fundamental to its growth. “We definitely believe looking five years ahead, we will have doubled our square meters,” Helena says.