Huntsman customers can now get suits delivered straight to their door. Image credit: Huntsman
British menswear label Huntsman Savile Row is extending the traditionally in-store tailor experience to customers’ homes with a new service.
The brand is partnering with Toshi, a fashion technology company, to allow customers to get their suits hand-delivered to them along with alternate sizes and other luxury assistant services. This move is a response to the growing mobilization and digitization of the retail experience.
"As a predominantly bespoke house, Huntsman was keen to service its ready-to-wear online customers as if they were physically coming to Savile Row, recreating the luxury of a private consultation in the comfort of one’s home," said Pierre Lagrange, owner of Huntsman, London.
Delivery service
Huntsman is one of the most iconic tailors of London, synonymous with Savile Row.
Traditionally, customers would come in, be fitted for a suit and return later to pick it up once the alterations had been made.
But now, thanks to a new partnership with Toshi, customers can get their suits delivered to their door, along with a host of services that could normally only be found in the bricks-and-mortar environment.
Toshi Technology bills itself as hand delivering luxury services to people’s doors. This is translated to its Huntsman partnership in multiple forms.
When customers purchase ready-to-wear apparel through the Huntsman Web site, they will be able to select Toshi delivery when they check out, provided they live within a certain few postal codes in London.
If so, they can select what time window would be best for the delivery to arrive. While checking out, they can check off other services needed.
Customers can get multiple sizes delivered. Image credit: Huntsman
For example, a Toshi representative can bring a suit jacket in multiple sizes and wait while the customer tries them on, taking the unwanted jackets back to the store. Additionally, small alterations can be made on-site.
Customers can pay at the door or online, adding further personalization and control of the transaction in the customer’s hands.
"Most of us busy businessmen don’t have lots of time for shopping, and while loving online purchase, we also miss the in-store handling you get from good professionals," Mr. Lagrange said. "We often don’t know what size we need, and find it a bit of waste to order two systematically.
"Sending stuff back is a chore, however good the return policy can be," he said. "So the Huntsman x Toshi partnership offers great solution to all of these above issues, recreating a personalized luxury experience in ecommerce."
Bridging the gap
This style of luxury delivery that provides more extensive services than just getting the product into customers’ hands is a growing trend in the quest to bridge the gap between in-store luxury retail and ecommerce.
For example, in China, popular ecommerce platform JD has added its own luxury delivery service.
For its JD Luxury Express, the retailer has trained a special team of employees, who will shuttle luxury purchases to consumers’ doors in style. Designed to more closely replicate the individualized experience expected from bricks-and-mortar stores, JD’s service aims to ensure that luxury products are handled in a manner that reflects the brand (see story).
A list of features provided by Huntsman
Outside of apparel, luxury vehicles have seen a similar new trend.
Ford Motor Co. is upping the experiential ante in the auto space by launching a new standard pickup and delivery service for all its 2017 Lincoln models as it tries to seize more ground in the luxury market (see story).
"We love the investment Toshi is making in technology, with great user experience online, but also the dedication to training of exceptional personal assistants," Mr. Lagrange said.