Software provider The Wishlist shares how fashion retailers can drive conversions, in this advertorial.
Every retailer knows the uphill battle of investing huge sums in brand building, high-impact advertising and meticulously crafted visual merchandising—only to have shoppers wander through the door, browse the racks, and walk out empty-handed.
The Invisible 80%
Despite your best efforts, 80% of in-store browsers still slip through the cracks. No name, no email, no follow-up opportunity. Contrast that with your e-commerce channel: when someone visits your website, they opt in to cookies, you personalize their homepage, they see recommended “you might also like” items, and if they leave, you can re-engage them via email and social-media ads.
The Online Edge—But It’s Only 20% of the Pie
It’s no surprise that digital personalization drives higher conversion rates. Yet, despite heavy investments here, online still accounts for just 20% of total sales for most brands. Meanwhile, most of your revenue, sunk costs (in rent and staffing) and customer interactions happen on the store floor, where follow-up is all but impossible.
What if you could bridge that divide? What if, upon exit, every visitor who wasn’t quite ready to buy became a warm lead, entered your marketing funnel, and received a personalized follow-up SMS from the staff member that served them? That’s “filling the funnel” in the physical world—extending the shopper journey well beyond the moment they step out the door.
The Wishlist + The Wishlist Clienteling
That’s exactly what The Wishlist and The Wishlist Clienteling achieve. On the shop floor, staff simply scan or search for items a customer is interested in (or the shopper can scan for themselves). At the end of the visit, if the customer is not ready to buy, your staff member can simply offer to save the items to their wishlist, and in return they'll be the first to be notified if the item is low in stock or on promotion. Your marketing engine picks up these warm leads: customers receive tailored follow-ups (“Those sneakers are now available in size 8—ready when you are!”), exclusive early-access invites, or even one-on-one virtual styling sessions. And your staff can even be prompted to personally outreach with the right message, at the right time.
Overcoming Traditional In-Store Hurdles
Historically, in-store tech rollouts have been plagued by high hardware costs, lengthy training and staff skepticism—“What’s in it for me?” The Wishlist flips that script:
- Rapid deployment: Cloud-based, rolls out in days. Readily integrates to existing POS such as Shopify or Newstore, and to your existing marketing engine.
- Minimal training: Intuitive interface—staff are up to speed in just 10–15 minutes.
- Best-practice playbook: We provide the scripts so your teams know exactly how to engage with customers.
- Full attribution: Every wishlist conversion is tracked back to the original in-store interaction, so staff can be recognised for their contribution, regardless of where the sale occurs.
Why Attribution Changes Everything
With real-time data flowing from floor to sale, leadership finally sees the full picture: how web marketing drives foot traffic, and how in-store engagements fuel later online sales. More importantly, your sales associates gain visibility on the long-tail value of their interactions. They’re rewarded not just for immediate purchases, but for follow-up conversions—whether the sale closes that afternoon or months later, online or in another store.
Real-World Proof: Viktoria and Woods
Take fashion retailer Viktoria and Woods, where the VIP program integrated The Wishlist Clienteling six months ago. They’re now seeing:
- 30% non-buying customers engaged post-visit
- VIP sales up 25%, driven by personalized outreach from staff and curated “back in stock” alerts.
- Customer frequency up 15%, as shoppers receive gentle reminders about items they loved.
Imagine what just two or three additional sales per day per store could mean for your bottom line. And think about the value of the 'intent' data that you are capturing that can feed your buying and planning operations and that you can use to hyper personalize your product offers.
In an era where every customer touchpoint counts, empower your staff with tools that extend the in-store magic into ongoing relationships. Transform passive browsers into active leads and, ultimately, loyal buyers—both in-store and online. Want to know more?
Click here to book a demo.