Revitalizing the intimates category…
Independent Study + Live client
My Role: Project Management, Business Case, Research, Journey Mapping, Strategy, Creative Brief, Creative Ideas, Copy Writing, Design
My Team: Elizabeth Gatlin (Experience Designer), Joelle Mitchell (Art Director)
The ask
Revitalize Aerie as a bra & undies brand.
The problem
Aerie is no longer prioritizing its relationship with its most valuable and loyal customer: the intimates shopper.
The solution
Improve the customer experience to address the struggles of shopping for intimates.
Background
Aerie, founded in 2006 as a separate brand from American Eagle, initially focused on women's bras and underwear. In 2010, it expanded its product range beyond intimates, and in 2014, it made a significant impact on the industry with its groundbreaking AerieREAL campaign, promoting body positivity and inclusivity through unretouched model photos.
Today, Aerie has its sights set on revitalizing itself as a leading intimates (bra and undie) brand.
Aerie helps customers feel seen & heard.
Aerie's shoppers prioritize both comfort and staying trendy. They highly value personal autonomy and believe in embracing their bodies rather than conforming to societal standards. They seek products that boost their confidence and help them feel comfortable in their own skin.
Aerie shoppers are immensely drawn to the brand due to its authenticity, comfort, optimism, and inclusivity. These qualities are what make Aerie highly desirable and appealing to its customers.
So why is there a need to revitalize Aerie as a bra and Undies brand?
Aerie faces a crowded and homogeneous competitive landscape.
Aerie operates in a crowded and homogeneous market where brands conform to each other. Initially, Aerie stood out with its focus on authenticity and body positivity, contrasting with its competitors' overtly sexy approach. However, other brands have followed suit, diluting Aerie's uniqueness. Now, category conformity has further blurred the lines between Aerie and its competitors.
Aerie took itself away from the intimates category.
The brand now presents itself as not just a intimates company, featuring more of its lounge, active, and swimwear products. This shift is evident in both Aerie's store displays and its social media presence. In terms of sales, intimates used to account for over half of the brand's revenue in 2015, but it has now decreased to just over a quarter, showcasing the successful expansion into other product lines.
Aerie is a household name in comfy attire.
The pandemic accelerated the growth and popularity of loungewear as people sought increased comfort in their attire. Despite overall apparel sales decreasing, there was a significant rise in demand for comfy clothing, with loungewear experiencing a 17% growth during this time. Aerie's leggings have become their top-selling product, further emphasizing the brand's focus on loungewear. This shift gained momentum when a viral TikTok video featured a pair of Aerie's crossover leggings. Hannah Schlenker's unsolicited endorsement garnered millions of views, leading to a surge in searches and ultimately causing the leggings to sell out quickly. This viral moment strengthened the association between Aerie and leggings.
Problem: Aerie lost focus.
Aerie's intimates are now being outshined by competitors and its other products. Not prioritizing intimates customers results in Aerie missing out on sales, loyalty, and brand sustainability.
Aerie is no longer prioritizing its relationship with its most valuable and loyal customer: the intimates shopper.
There is emotional power in intimates.
Intimates hold a significant place in people's lives, extending beyond being mere essentials. They deeply affect confidence, comfort, and a sense of tranquility. By providing a feeling of ease and security, intimates enable individuals to eliminate distractions and concentrate better, ultimately influencing their self-esteem and mood. As a result, intimates play a vital role in shaping one's self-perception and demeanor throughout the day and across various aspects of life.
Customer Journey: intimates shoppers go through an unfortunate experience.
Intimates shoppers often experience frustration, stress, inconsistency, and a sense of burden when it comes to finding the right bra and underwear. The process of decision-making in this category can be quite challenging and demanding.
Tension
Intimates shoppers hate the struggles that come with finding and deciding the right bra or underwear, but they love how a good bra or underwear makes them feel.
Insight
Shopping for bras and underwear can be like dating.
There are many options, and the process can be frustrating, but once consumers find their perfect match, they tend to be loyal.
Solution
Aerie can enhance the customer experience by addressing the challenges of shopping for intimates and meeting their needs.
Opportunity
Aerie has products customers are looking for; Aerie just needs to help customers find them.
Aerie has the opportunity to champion the process of finding bras and underwear.
Strategy
Aerie becomes the wing woman to help consumers find their true match in bras & underwear.
In-store
Store Layout
By revamping its store layout to prioritize its intimates and enhance its visibility, Aerie brings intimates back to the center of its product offerings. Currently, bras and undies are positioned at the back of the store. By relocating these items to the middle of the store, shoppers will have easier access and encounter them more frequently during their exploration.
Store Signage
Signage is a valuable tool to inform shoppers about different styles and highlight the benefits of specific features. By strategically placing signage throughout the store, Aerie can visually guide shoppers, helping them navigate various product offerings and easily find what they are looking for or need from a bra or underwear.
3-D Body Scanners
A major painpoint for consumers is knowing the right size in intimates. Aerie can implement 3D-body scanners to give customers a comprehensive full-body perspective, enabling more precise and accurate size recommendations.
Smart Mirrors
Paired with 3-D body scanners, Aerie can add smart mirrors in its stores. These mirrors will revolutionize the way customers try on intimate wear, as they can now receive personalized advice and reviews related to the items they bring into the fitting room. This is made possible through radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on the products, which communicate product details such as type, size, and color to the smart mirror.
By connecting with the customer's profile, the mirror goes a step further in tailoring suggestions and feedback. It learns from the customer's past purchases and takes into account the items they are currently trying on. Furthermore, even after the purchase, the mirror continues to be useful. It provides a recap of the chosen items and creates an avenue for customers to share their feedback. This valuable input assists Aerie in making future improvements based on customer experiences.
Social
Aerie can initiate customer education even before they step into the store or visit the website by leveraging social media platforms like Instagram. They can showcase the various styles of bras and underwear they offer, accompanied by brief descriptions to assist shoppers in understanding their options and finding intimates that meet their needs. Through these social media posts, Aerie can introduce the different styles while also highlighting the benefits and outcomes associated with specific features.
Digital
App
Aerie can help customers find their perfect match by introducing a style and fit quiz. This quiz would be available on both the app and website, presenting a series of questions related to the customer's body type, current sizing, and preferences. By gathering this information, Aerie can effectively match customers with the right style and size that aligns with their individual preferences.
Aerie can further enhance recommendations by introducing a swiping feature on its app. This gamified experience provides personalized recommendations based on the customer's profile, past purchases, and items in their cart or wishlist. Customers can like, dislike, or save items, read reviews, and leave their own reviews. The app also showcases new releases that align with the customer's style. After swiping, a recap is provided with a call-to-action to purchase the preferred items.
Experiential
Aerie can engage with customers through pop-up activations in busy urban areas and shopping centers. They can also join discussions on women's social and health topics with speakers like Body Activist Gianna Schiller and Period.org Council Member Regan Moss, covering body literacy and menstrual health. Activities will include self-love notes and personalized intimates.
Digital Kiosk
Aerie's digital kiosk offers a variety of features to assist customers in finding the perfect products for their needs. Acting as a reliable wing woman, the kiosk enhances decision-making by providing streamlined information. Utilizing RFID tags similar to the smart mirror, customers can read product reviews without entering the fitting room. Customers receive personalized recommendations based on their preferences by taking a style and fit quiz linked to their profile. Additionally, customers receive a recap of the products they viewed via email and app, facilitating easy retrieval of items they found appealing for future reference.
Influencer Partnerships
Aerie can partner with influencers to showcase their new digital shopping experience. Influencers would take the style and fit quiz, and receive personalized products, a Bra Fit Finder tape measurer, a card about Aerie's intimates revamp, and a self-love journal.
Aerie Transforming the Intimates Shopping Experience
Aerie serves as a wing woman throughout the intimates shopping process, turning what was a daunting and frustrating experience into one filled with confidence and support. By embracing the role of a wing woman, Aerie not only educates, suggests, understands, supports, and recommends products to women shoppers but also meets them precisely where they are, both in their shopping journey and on an emotional level. This holistic approach allows Aerie to mend and rekindle its relationship with shoppers, fostering a deeper connection.
