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Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 23

How to keep customers at the center and sales up

feat. French streetwear store Aarhon

Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 23
The Challenges
The Solutions
The Results

Well-Tailored Fashion & Well-Tailored Customer Support

In 2015, when Paris-based fashion store Aarhon first opened their doors, streetwear was still a relatively niche style. But thanks to a few visionary brands inspired by the high-quality, urban-casual look, the style began to grow…and grow…and grow into one of today’s most sought after trends. And through its growth, Aarhon has loyally remained a brand at the heart of this trend. They have not only continued to produce well-tailored fashion but also well-tailored customer service for their city-dwelling fans whose shopping experiences have greatly changed in the past few years. 

Despite the past few years, Aarhon continued to meet the demands of their customers by partnering with Connected Retail by Zalando, ensuring that their products remain accessible even if their physical store is not. With a team of only nine people between their offices and store, Aarhon is able to keep customer communication personal and human, tending to shoppers both online and offline with full focus.

Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 24

"If you are a brand who is committed to achieving a consistent satisfactory performance, then Connected Retail could also be a long-term solution for you"

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Vincent Nguyen, Marketing manager

Growth Means Change — and That’s Okay!

“We are also able to offer a diverse catalogue of products and reach a wider customer base with Connected Retail,” says Aarhon’s marketing manager Vincent Nguyen. “Since joining the Zalando platform, our GMV has increased by 50% and we are averaging 1000 orders per week, as we are able to not only sell across all of France.” 

But while in-person contact has decreased, communication has actually increased, says Vincent: “Customers are looking for the same customer experience as in the physical shop, but this time online — which has resulted in an increase in exchanges with customers regarding their various questions about sizing, shipping times, etc.” This also means that Aarhon’s internal needs are changing. The majority of customer engagement used to happen in person on the shop floor. Now, it mostly happens digitally through emails, customer service and social media. Because of this, Aarhon (along with many other brands) “needs more e-commerce professionals to join their team.

Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 4
Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 4
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Aarhon_shootnovembre_POST (8)
Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 2
Aarhon Paris - Streetwear 2

0%

increase in GMV

0

orders per week on average

Strong Strategy & Assortment From The Start

However, some things never change…and for Aarhon, their original assortment strategies have served them well. “Our assortment strategy is the same as it was with our physical store. We adapt our sizes and color grids according to demand. Our sales on Zalando and our customers’ return reasons have helped us to clarify when we are lacking something (colors for certain products, etc.) and we always adapt accordingly. We track our sales and stock levels on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. In November and December, Connected Retail accounted for 30% of our sales.” 

Of course, there were some concerns, as there are with any big changes. For many brands, there is a fear of high return rates from online purchases. But this “has actually been reduced thanks to the volumes acquired through sales on the Zalando platform,” Vincent admits. 

 

The Future of Aarhon 

 “If you are a brand who is committed to achieving a consistent satisfactory performance, then Connected Retail could also be a long-term solution for you,” says Vincent. Expansion of their product range, as well as the addition of joining a platform that allows them to reach new targets has inspired Aarhon to launch a new brand — something more casual but equally qualitative, with customers at the heart of it”.