- Robyn Turk
-
|
Bonobos is looking to grow a ‘try before you buy’ scheme it has
been testing out. The e-commerce driven menswear brand had been
piloting the service in three physical Boston locations and is now
considering expanding the offering to the west coast.
The omnichannel service blends Bonobos’ digitally-native offerings
with its brick-and-mortar locations, called guideshops. The guideshops
are not traditional stores in that shoppers do not make purchases and
carry out merchandise the same day. Bonobos introduced the physical
locations to provide its consumers style and fit guides. Shoppers can
make purchases to be delivered to their homes in the guideshops, as
well as returns and exchanges.
In its ty before you buy testing, Bonobos has been using the
guideshops as a hub. Customers to order up to 12 items online to be
sent to a Bonobos location, where they try on items and decide what to
purchase or send back. The guideshop handles the returns of unwanted
items.
Digiday reported earlier this week that Bonobos has experienced
success with this pilot, which it launched in August. Thirty-five
percent of the customers using the new service are new shoppers to the
brand, and the company has seen higher orders and conversion rates on
average with the service.
Bonobos has not yet announced which west locations might be the
next to utilize the service. The brand currently operates guideshops
in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego.
