Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer is a household name for shoppers in the UK and around the world. M&S is embracing the digital future of retail by providing online services. As part of this forward-thinking approach, M&S uses Appointedd’s online scheduling software to deliver their Fit & Style personal shopping initiative, combining the convenience and flexibility of seamless online booking with a superior in-store experience for their customers.

The mark of quality

Marks and Spencer is a British multinational retailer, specializing in selling clothes, home product and luxury food products. To support their strong high street presence of 1000 stores, Marks and Spencer is focusing on growing its online business. M&S.com has an annual turnover of around £1bn, with 35m customers visiting the website every month.

The challenge

Marks and Spencer has launched a new luxury womenswear initiative called Fit & Style. This service is offered in a dedicated studio in their Westfield White City and Manchester stores. The Fit & Style studio offers an expert personal styling service, along with an onsite, ‘while you wait’ product alteration service.

In launching this experience, Marks and Spencer identified the importance of taking appointment bookings online for the modern consumer. Fit & Style is a world class in-store retail experience and Marks and Spencer required a trusted technology partner that would bridge the gap seamlessly between the digital and physical brand experience.

Appointedd’s ease of use makes the platform a great part of our customer journey. Appointedd has heavily contributed to a successful launch of the Fit & Style Studio service. David Howell – Project Manager

The solution

For M&S the priority was that their booking solution would work for two key groups: customers and stylists. Customers are able to select different types of styling service, whilst receiving relevant automated communications about their booking, providing a seamless experience, while stylists have a platform that allows them to quickly understand which customer they are due to see and what the customer is looking for.

A perfect fit

M&S was looking for a online booking solution to provide customers with a fast, simple, and convenient way to book their Fit & Style appointments online, at anytime, from anywhere. Appointedd was a perfect match to complete the experience. By delivering their customizable booking apps, M&S are able to take guaranteed bookings from their website in seconds.

To prevent detrimental effects during the important Christmas trading period, M&S aimed to launch the Fit & Style Studio in November 2017. “It was quite a challenge, and would not have been possible without the agile and quick-thinking nature of Appointedd,” says David Howell, Project Manager. “The team worked with us closely and comprehensively, swiftly understanding our proposition and tailoring their solution to meet our launch date. As such, we successfully opened to customers on 2 November, with an appointment booking platform available to our customers.”

The result

David and the team at Marks and Spencer have been more than happy with the system since its implementation: “Appointedd’s ease of use makes the platform a great part of our customer journey. Further, the ability to offer a different questionnaire according to styling service allows us to ask more relevant questions, providing more a personalized experience for our customers.”

In the first two months following the launch of M&S’s Fit & Style service, they have seen over 600 customers book appointments using the system.

“The ability to book appointments in-store with a stylist has also led to follow up appointments. This is significant for us, as a key aim of the service is to develop personal and meaningful relationships with our customers. Appointedd has heavily contributed to a successful launch of the Fit & Style Studio service.”