Matchesfashion targets one-hour delivery and VR to replicate physical store experience

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 24, 2016

Luxury e-tailer matchesfashion.com is planning to launch a oner-hour delivery service “soon” and believes that such a fast turnaround will be the norm in the future for major cities.

CEO Ulric Jerome said at WWD’s Global Fashion Forum in Beijing that the company is also looking at 360-degree video ahead of a move into virtual reality (VR).

He gave no specific timescale for the one-hour delivery service’s launch but said it would be a regular feature of retailer websites in key cities within 18 months. However, he dismissed the need to use drones to achieve the ambitious delivery target, saying airspace regulations could be a stumbling block..

Matches is currently able to make same-day deliveries in key cities.

Major mass-market names, including Amazon and Walmart, have been investing heavily in research into done-based delivery but it is unclear how such a service would sit with a luxury offer and how amenable public opinion would be to the prospect of a massive number of drones occupying urban airspace.

Of the plan for videos, Jerome said the company already has the option for customers to use shoppable video. But the aim is to create an interactive experience, and later a VR one that will allow the customer to more closely replicate the experience of trying on items in a physical store.

The company has seen average basket sizes rising 15% this year and Jerome said that it currently has an overall customer retention rate of 65%, although that figure rises to 90% for its top 10 customers.

Matches is also boosting its mobile sales with 48% of transactions now coming through a smartphone or tablet, despite analysts having long said that mobile is less appealing for luxury shoppers.