CASE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
As the traditional brick and mortar retail landscape changes, in 2017 I had co-founded Finer Fields to create a new brick and mortar model where we, as a physical store, operated essentially as a shoppable show room for various brands that was complimented with an app.
CHALLENGE
How do we make a compelling in-store customer experience?
How do we make this better or different than online stores and traditional retail stores?
How can we make this profitable for both Finer Fields and our selected vendors?
How do we find good brands?
SOLUTION
Operating as Creative Director, Strategist, and brand curator, I guided Finer Fields in opening a retail store in SoHo as well as the development of its complimentary app. The business model was to rent space to selected vendors to display sample sizes that customers could try on and then order in-store or on our custom app for delivery which Finer Fields would also receive a percentage of sales on. Finer Fields neither purchased nor carried inventory and customers did not have the burden of carrying goods or second guessing online purchases and consequently returning them.
New or small brands typically have a difficult time getting into stores for hands-on exposure, and even when they do they are unable to tell their “story” and display a proper collection to communicate their distinctive point of view. Strategically, Finer Fields offered a great way for brands to get into a retail space for customers to see and feel their product line with less risk such as investment in additional inventory logistics, shipping inventory, and staffing.
RESULTS
Although we were able to open the store at 199 Lafayette Street in SoHo for a few months, have a working shoppable consumer facing app in the Apple App Store, and and leveraging relationships to bring in great brands such as Sennheiser, Ebbets Field, Willy Chavarria, Uhuru furniture, Andrea Claire lighting among others, we were unable to secure enough funding to continue to build momentum in order to establish a strong enough presence and brand awareness to continue.
Screenshots of the Finer Fields app where we featured brands and their purchasable products.
Images of the Finer Fields store at 199 Lafayette St. SoHo NYC.
