Rebecca Minkoff gets ‘connected’

Rebecca Minkoff has tapped into a sweet spot when it comes to integrating the best of online and offline retail.



The designer’s first two U.S. flagships, in downtown Manhattan and the Pacific Heights section of San Francisco, are showcases for how to use technology to create a highly personalized and engaging shopping experience in a physical space. Combining on-trend fashions, a playful and inviting atmosphere and high-tech innovations, the stores are in sync with the brand’s young, mobile-savvy customer base. (Up next are stores in Los Angeles and Chicago.)



The technology, developed by eBay’s retail innovation team, includes a new mobile iOS app, a “connected” touchscreen wall, and smart fitting rooms that utilize advanced RFID technology. Here’s how it all comes together: Using the mobile app, shoppers are invited to check in to the store upon arrival, which prompts the shopper’s personal profile to be carried across Rebecca Minkoff channels, helping store associates provide a more personal, customized experience.



Entering the store, shoppers encounter a massive mirror that shows runway footage and other brand content, including the designer’s favorite styles. The wall doubles as a touchscreen: Customers can browse products, and details, and images can be pulled up for specific items. They can also examine the merchandise the traditional way, roaming up and down the aisles.



Using the touchscreen, customers can order a free beverage — sparkling water, coffee and Champagne are among the choices. A text message is sent to the shopper’s phone as an alert that the order has been placed.



Shoppers can also select the “send to room” option on the wall to initiate a personal session with a stylist, who will then pull the desired items into a fitting room. A text alert is sent when the fitting room is ready.



Fitting Rooms: All the merchandise in the store (and storeroom) is RFID-tagged, allowing for 100% inventory accuracy on what’s in stock and what’s not. The fitting room mirrors, which also double as touchscreens, instantly recognize the item being tried on and suggest complementary accessories, and can identify what other sizes and colors are available for each garment. Using the screen, shoppers can also request that a store associate bring in a different size or color of an item.



“Every woman hates walking out of a dressing room half naked in search of a sales associate for another size or style, which is why I’m so excited about the magic mirrors in our dressing rooms,” Rebecca Minkoff said.



With a tap on the mirror, customers can also adjust the lighting in the fitting room to one of five settings customized for each locale. The Manhattan settings include “Hudson River Sunset,” while San Francisco choices include “North Beach Morning.”



The shopper can “save” her fitting session to her mobile device and access the session in the Rebecca Minkoff app and online at a later date, giving her instant access to the products she tried on.



Checkout: A shopper can check out directly from the fitting room, sending the selected items into a shopping basket via the mirror’s touchscreen for an expedited mobile checkout. (The mirrors not only track what shoppers buy, but also what they leave behind, providing the company with valuable data.) But customers can also check out from anywhere in the store, with transactions completed on associates’ tablets. While PayPal is suggested for a streamlined checkout, traditional payment methods are also accepted.



“We want to empower our customer at the store,” said Emily Culp, senior VP e-commerce and omnichannel marketing, Rebecca Minkoff, during a presentation at the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Convention & Expo. “And we use technology to facilitate it.”