'Just for you': successful curated fashion concepts

We’ve pretty much had our fill of this virus by now, but it has actually been a boost to some retail concepts. Savvy curated commerce businesses are creating fashion offerings personally selected for their customers. And in turn, opportunities for themselves. Read on to find out more! 

A major boon of online retail is the option of personalising the store’s range for the digital customer. Filters based on personas are one example of this, but capitalising on previous purchases is also helping savvy curated connoisseurs to earn an extra buck in less fortunate times. 

Hand-picked items, ‘just for you’ 

The ‘new online magazine-meets-concept store’ Semaine offers its customers every conceivable must-have to help them complete their (desired) existence. The product presentation is based on personal preferences, which are referred to as ‘Life Categories’. Depending on the category, you are introduced to products that are likely to make you – and ‘people like you’ – very happy shoppers: supplements and coaching apps for wellness fans; self-help books and co-working memberships for the inquisitively minded; and a luxury bread knife with a weekly vegetable box subscription for foodies. It’s as if the products have been selected with you – and just you – in mind. 

Personal preferences and a unique, limited and authentic selection that appears to be put together ‘especially for you’ and isn’t available all over the place are some of the key characteristics of curated commerce. Another is the use of top-quality visuals: in general, curated webstores and suppliers have access to a plentiful pool of effective, attractive images, tailored perfectly to the customer’s desires. The selection recreates the vibe of an exclusive, personal boutique, where the owner knows you by name, and more importantly, knows what flicks your switch. And what to think of the time that you can save by having an expert who knows you through and through, and knows exactly what you need? 

"It’s as if the products have been selected with you – and just you – in mind".

Personally curated ‘nearly new’ 

Salon Heleen Hülsmann is living proof that a curated approach can also be a successful sales tool for second-hand clothes. Her team know many of the customers and their preferences personally, and use this knowledge to select clothes, shoes and accessories for fans of recent designer collections. You won’t find any vintage in the webstore: only used, but good as new and authentic items from designer collections from the past couple of years. The ‘especially for you’ curated items can be tried for size in real life at the Amsterdam showroom. By appointment, and of course socially distanced, Heleen offers her regulars a physical option to complement the online offering: a great, clever concept in which the two strategies enhance one another. 

Although these extraordinary times are alive with limitations, the art is to spot the possibilities. Or to create your own possibilities, just like these inspirational entrepreneurs.

Written by Soraya Jahan