Dive Brief:

• Cosabella, a luxury lingerie brand, has launched a "StyleWidget" that enables consumers to submit personalized styling requests on either the Cosabella desktop or mobile site, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive from Snap+Style Business, which is providing the Visual Merchandising platform. The technology has delivered an average sales conversion rate of 30% for Cosabella from shoppers using the offering.
• After customers submit a personalized styling request, Cosabella's stylists respond by e-mail with a curated merchandise selection designed specifically for the individual. This encourages further engagement with the brand.
• The StyleWidget is part of a SaaS retail technology suite Snap + Style developed for brands like Cosabella and other retailers. The goal is to provide an additional level of service while generating actionable insights that lead directly to sales.

Dive Insight:

Cosabella's adoption of Snap+Style's StyleWidget represents another step in the lingerie brand's progress incorporating automation. The company had previously delved into artificial intelligence-driven marketing, finding a 336% jump as a return on ad spend. 

The StyleWidget from Snap + Style Business brings interactivity to customer service, enabling consumers to plug styling requests into computers or mobile apps, and have Cosabella's stylists create looks based on these preferences, and then respond with merchandise recommendations.

"Snap+Style Business is truly a game changer for us. In the past six months, when a customer submitted a request using Snap+Style Business on our site, 30% of the time it converted to a sale, with a larger AOV (average order value) than those who didn't," said Cosabella CEO Guido Campello.

"The retail landscape in fashion continues to evolve into a digital first shopping experience even at the luxury level. Customer service is more important than ever, with stylists now entering your home to dress and educate you. Snap + Style is allowing us to convert our in-store associates into in-home stylists, communicating directly with our consumers through our e-com site. This is true omnichannel customer service," Campello said.

Discovery is key in fashion retailing. To make the most of it, retailers need to take personalization and curation to the next level.

"The Snap+Style Business product suite allows consumers to visually discuss and discover merchandise directly with sales associates or stylists. That meaningful and easy exchange leads to an experience that has increased AOV, UPT (units per transaction) and lifetime customer value." said Raul Fernandez, chairman of Snap+Style.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Cosabella employed Albert, an AI marketing platform from Adgorithms for a digital advertising, marketing and online sales pitches in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, Italy, France and Canada. This effort generated a 155% revenue bump and a greater-than-three-fold increase on ad spend return. A 565% return on ad spend was seen in one month on Facebook.

The lingerie brand is working with Albert for Valentine's Day and spring campaigns, regularly refreshing content for paid social media based on the AI platform's insight that consumers quickly grow tired of seeing the same creative content.