Customization comes to Zara and Retail experts give their opinion about this initiative. For some: a good idea… For others: it is late and it is not original… In what retail experts do agree is that, nowadays, being unique and different is necessary to add value, improve purchase experience and customers´ loyalty.
BE DIFFERENT… That’s the question…
Experts are clear: Differentiation in Retail Fashion is one of the attributes of luxury more considered by customers and, according to Marcos Mosteiro, is a way to “conquer an increasingly demanding public”. Pilar Zorrilla believes that “personalization is essential to differentiate and contribute more and more value”. For Pilar that is the path that retailers who want to succeed must follow.
In addition to being different from our competitors, the customization will allow retailers, according to Salvador Ferrando, “to improve the shopping experience, increase the commitment to the brand” and, Gema Díez adds, “customer loyalty”. For Gema, Zara’s initiative is “magnificent and a good way to distinguish itself from the rest with originality”.
Likewise, for Studio Escaparatismo, personalizing is one of the keys of the retail experience future, not only in the product, but in commercial and visual strategies. Alma Noemí Pertejo goes further: “CUSTOMIZE will be the way to escape this maelstrom of offers and discounts that both suffocates us”
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In short, products´customization is, for Patricia Alberca, “a good idea (although we will have to see how it develops in this case)” and one more detail that, according to Mirka Plasencia, “helps improve client´s attention and service”.
Is Zara really original?
But not all experts see this initiative as something original. In fact, Tania Pareja explains “this comes from behind and if not, look at Nike,” says.
David Terrón Pla agrees and points out that “Zara arrives a little late to this great trend that is products´personalization”. “Many other brands have been doing it for longer. Ikea, for example, who occasionally has given the option to personalize home clothes”.
Also, Germán Prados says that “this was already invented in the 60s of the last century when they put caps on jeans”. Germán also names Pañuelos Guasch that embroidered the initials and Coca-Cola that put names in cans. “It’s just a reinvention but it sounds like something new” he adds.
Democratizing fashion
However, although it is true that this custom garment already existed years ago, the truth is that in many cases this customization was only available to a few, those who could afford to pay Top brands. In this sense, Carmen Muñoz assures that Zara has been democratizing fashion for some time. For Carmen, this initiative “allows ordinary mortals to customize cheap jeans here and now, something that, until recently, was only available to luxury brands such as Vuitton or Nike.”
In any case, experts believe that this is a new challenge, and that we must wait to see how it evolves, how it develops and really what is the objective they want to achieve with it.
