Lace is king at 14 rue d’Halévy, in Paris. On the three bright levels of the historic Haussmann building, the models are decked out in the brand’s latest collections and classics. Welcome to Etam’s flagship, located a stone’s throw from Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. The brand’s digital laboratory is full of technological innovations. And these are not gadgets.
“The first objective of the digitization of our stores is to bring mobility to our sales hostesses, so that they are no longer dependent on their checkouts and can establish fluid and personalized exchanges with our customers”, explains Romain Sabatier. , head of “omnichannel experience” at Etam Group. To begin with, all sales assistants wear a tape measure around their neck, measurement remaining a key step in fashion in general, and in lingerie in particular. “The saved size can then be found online or in any store to facilitate future purchases,” he says.
Connected shops
In the Etam Haussmann store in Paris, the cabins are connected
© / PDS
In addition to this traditional instrument, the saleswomen are equipped with a telephone on which they access a dedicated application. “This tool makes it possible to centralize everything they need to support consumers: offer, stock, customer profile and benefits, tools for taking measurements, mobile payment…” This omnichannel device allows in particular to access the favorites indicated by the internet user. “Our buyers expect an immediate response, continues Romain Sabatier. They have looked at the site, read the reviews. They sometimes have more information than our staff!”.
Direction now the fitting. Heavy ecru curtains conceal large cabins. These clear spaces which protect from view are also isolated from electromagnetic waves. The goal ? Automatically read the RFID (radio-identification) chip with which each item is fitted without the customer needing to pass it close to the reader. If the color does not suit her, she does not need to get dressed and leave the cabin. All he has to do is select another color on the screen available to him. The advisor immediately receives a notification on her phone and brings the desired item.
Streamlined purchases
The last step concerns cashing. “Our Haussmann store has been designed so that it can be done anywhere. This is why we have placed mobile payment furniture at key points of the route, and in particular at the cabin exit” . The brand also launched the first version of the Etam App on which customers can pay for their items independently using the RFID chip. “Our digitization strategy is simple and consists of giving a central role to our applications, emphasizes Romain Sabatier. in order to facilitate and increase all interactions”.
As for product returns, it is no longer necessary to present a receipt. The simple scan of the article’s RFID chip makes it possible to trace its life cycle and find the original ticket, whether it is a purchase in store or an order on the web. The next step is already planned and will see the deployment of self-checkout terminals. “You just have to put the items in a bin. The RFID chips are read and you can pay in 3 clicks”, announces Romain Sabatier, who is already planning for the Etam of tomorrow.