Helping Department Stores Excel In The Lingerie Business.
Many store groups now recognise the experience in the lingerie department as a strategic tool for growth. A well executed , proactive, customer centric & expert service in lingerie , supported by the right products , processes & people has been proven to draw more customers in , drive conversion, average sale & margin higher and create repeat business and advocacy.
If you run a department store you may have seen footfall and sales in the lingerie department decrease in the last few years. Lingerie, which for many stores was once a key draw & a steady cash cow, has been a declining, or stagnant category for many businesses faced with the pressure of line competition & the emergence of today’s lingerie shopper who has quite different tastes & priorities.
We know that running a department store can be tough.
We know that lingerie may be on the bottom of your priority list – especially if sales have declined.
We also know that if you had the opportunity to create a superior customer experience leading to increased footfall, profitable department level sales that don’t require discounting to drive volume, increased spending around the store & long-term customers who become advocates, you might want to embrace it.
You do.
Many stores have an untapped super power, simply waiting to be unleashed, which can achieve all of those goals : the lingerie department.
Pudding’s specialist programme for department stores is designed to turn your lingerie department into a destination category & help you recrate previous successes by moving to the business model that successful lingerie stores follow TODAY. It looks like this:
The businesses taking the greatest share of lingerie sales in the UK today are investing in their lingerie departments.
They are training their bra fitters in the most expert, up to date bra fitting methods. They understand the power of the lingerie department in bringing customers in who spend again and again.
They are not alone. As the number 1 business consultancy for the lingerie industry, our team at Pudding have been helping other department stores seize this opportunity over the last few years. The early adopters that we’ve worked with have recognised first hand that getting your lingerie business model right for today’s market can:
Double department sales
Getting many stores back to the levels they used to see in the lingerie department 10+ years ago
Add directly to the bottom line
Our tools & training increase sales from your existing team and stock - in fact we help you reduce your stock holding while selling more - no extra resource, better sales and sell through, reduced inventory cost, no reliance on discounting.
Create a WOW experience that increases footfall
An expert ‘fit by sight’ bra fitting service transforms a woman – and with 80% of the women in your store still being in the wrong bra, it is a gift. Do it well and you will be a sought after destination. What’s more , you will not just drive sales in the short-term, but create a repeat customer who spends across the store and is an advocate who draws others in .
If you are a department store who hasn’t yet realised this , now is the time to up your game. Our specialist department store package is designed to super-power your lingerie department, and as an approved supplier to AIS stores, we are delighted to be able to offer AIS members an exclusive package:
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Including an on the ground in store day where we assess your sales funnel; bra fitting expertise; merchandising, marketing and operations. You receive a ready to go action plan with quantification of the missed sales opportunities, a realistic of the uplift you can achieve and clear tactics to achieve it – starting TODAY
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the lingerie departments we work with typically generate 80% of their sales from 20-30% of their stock. But keep hoping the other 70-80% of stock will sell one day and keep buying the wrong stock. Buyers simply don’t have the time or tools to analyse the stock in the depth needed – we can do that for you and tell you what to keep, deepen, drop and where to focus your sales people & budget. What’s more we have developed a bespoke automated buying tool to help you make better decisions in half the time.
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Day 1 ensures every team member is confident and skilled to deliver a best-in-class bra fitting service using the most up to date methods. Day 2 ensures they are combining that with a proactive, high-end sales & service model (following a simple step by step process: the WOW FACTOR process) that leads to superior sales results.
We call this the WOW FACTOR Programme - the stores who have followed it normally see a minimum 25% uplift in sales at no extra cost, immediately. Many stores have doubled their sales. All while reducing inventory cost at the same time.
Head to the WOW Factor page to find out more, or if managing stock is your immediate priority head straight to our Better Buying page.
We have clients who have doubled their lingerie sales following our programme. On average we see an immediate 25% uplift in lingerie sales, plus a significant improvement in customer satisfaction. What’s more, the benefits extend right across the store, today and in the future.
Investing in your lingerie department is a tool for strategic growth. Don’t Delay.
Want to hear from those we have worked with already? Find out what leading AIS store directors and buyers who have followed the programme have to say:
“Helen was a pleasure to deal with and her passion, energy and detailed knowledge of every section of the lingerie industry is second to none. Her deep dive analysing every element of our lingerie business from inventory to skillset and expertise have been useful for both the team and myself and have real laser focus on where opportunities lay. Helens detailed training and toolkit for team has improved expertise and confidence in both fitting skills and delivering the Wow factor to ensure we strive for best in class service and be the experts in our town. Helen's insight of existing performance overall and strategic recommendations and follow up have ensured we have seen sales growth already and will continue on the journey to implement further enhancements to our range and service.”
— Jo Wakeman, Store Director, Camp Hopson
"Helen has a wealth of knowledge about the lingerie business, and she understands the challenges of this very individual trade. Her deep dive analysis highlighted opportunities where we could improve our inventory to minimise lost sales and also areas where we could consolidate ranges by removing slow sellers either by style , size or colour. We have started to see an uplift in sales and profit but we need to continue focusing on these new standards and plan in regular inventory analysis. We will implement many of her suggestions across the rest of the group. Helen thank you for your feedback & support."
— Angela Bryanton, Morley’s Group Buyer
“We are delighted with the results we have seen. Our lingerie sales have increased significantly; the team are rejuvenated and the fit by sight method is wowing customers. Our sales and buying teams are working much more closely together and sales of previously under-performing products have improved. We have seen big improvements in both conversion from footfall to sale and the average sale value. What’s more, both are customers and staff are loving lingerie again. We can’t wait to get started on the next phase of our growth programme, working with Helen again – the support we have had has been excellent.”
— Simon Colquhoun, Retail Director, Ulster Stores Group
"Helen’s training is incredibly in-depth and her approach to guiding you through her thought process is open and mindful of the resources that are available to your business. Helen is on hand to answer any questions/queries you might have and can also adapt her training to suit your needs. Helen covered everything and more in the training. She is extremely helpful and nothing is ever too much trouble for her. For instance, we had conversations late in the evening on more than one occasion, and in my opinion this is over and above what I was expecting with regards to communication. I have a much clearer view on size scales required per bra style. I know which bra styles per brand work best for our business and I also have a view on newness to add to the business that will cover our target customer segments to the correct % of sales."
— Laura Magee , Lingerie Buyer, Ulster Stores Group