Birdsnest is an example of how one small town bricks and mortar retailer is blurring the lines between online and traditional retail. Founder, Jane Cay, attributes Birdsnest’s success to always being at the forefront of innovation, and never being afraid to trial new ideas. “It’s not survival of the fittest or the smartest, it’s the one that’s most adaptable to change,” Cay told Inside Retail PREMIUM. At birdsnest.com.au, Cay says the idea is not just to sell products to wome
n, but to inspire confidence by offering styling advice and full head to toe outfits tailored to personality, body shape, occasion, size, colour, and price.
For Cay, the ability to solve a woman’s wardrobe dilemma has become an obsession.
“Women say what they really connect with on our site is that we show them how to wear the garments,” she said.
Birdsnest has a team of nine stylists working behind the scenes, designing complete outfits that can be purchased on the site, with new styles added daily.
This month Birdsnest will roll out an outfit creator, where customers will be able to mix and match items, designing their own looks and outfits.
Two become one
The brand’s showroom at Cooma is southern NSW is at the forefront of the merging of online and offline retail.
The 200sqm storefront has an attached 4000sqm warehouse space, and is clean, white, and simple, broken up into a series of wardrobes.
Similar to the online store, each wardrobe is tailored to a different type of woman, based on personality and occasion, and within each hangs one of every garment.
Scattered throughout the showroom are iPads and laptops on which customers can order a size and have it delivered within minutes from the warehouse to a changeroom.
IPads are also in changerooms, where customers can access all 4000 styles displayed on the website and order them directly.
“I realised there was this truth to the notion of retail therapy, where women came in feeling a certain way, and if we gave them the right styling advice and put them in the right gear, they could walk out feeling a million dollars.”
The online store accounts for 95 per cent of sales, with 80 per cent of this from return customers, however, business at the bricks and mortar store is beginning to pick up. Birdsnest has plans to turn its Cooma showroom into a destination, and is collaborating with BMW in a bid to drive sales.
Those hiring a BMW in nearby Canberra can drive it to the store, where they will be offered a personal stylist for the day.
“We trial a new thing everyday. It’s always being willing to have a go and potentially fail,” said Cay.
“We’ve always been very open and receptive, and we know we’re going to be completely different in five years time.”
