Sunglass Hut rolls out digital capability to improve in-store experiences

Sunglasses retailer, Sunglass Hut, says the decision to implement new technology to localise merchandise recommendations in-store is about improving the bricks-and-mortar experience through digital capability.

The retail group, which has more than 2700 locations globally and is part of the Luxottica group, has invested in One Door’s Merchandising Cloud application and rolling out the solution across its Australia and New Zealand operations.

The vendor said the platform combines product and promotional visual merchandising with store information in order to provide a digitised version of each store location and its features. Using the app, a retailer can capture and tap into a digital model of store attributes, floorplans, fixtures and resources and come up with an interactive merchandising plan based on these elements.

Sunglass Hut marketing and ecommerce director, Kate Grech, said the in-store experience is integral to high-fashion accessories and sunglasses in particular because products are chosen to reflect the personality of the consumer. Using the platform was about localising and personalising product mixes in-store so they feel more custom-made to that location. They can then analyse status and results based on each SKU, fixture, store and campaign.

“As our business continues to grow, One Door’s Merchandising Cloud will assist us in delivering a consistent in-store experience and keep pace with rapidly changing customer needs,” Grech said.

CEO of One Door, EY Snowden, said the platform was being implemented and supported by its global team. The vendor rebranded to One Door from RBM Technologies in December after a three-year transformation program that included bringing in a new leadership team, global sales and support investment, rearchitecting its SaaS-based application, and a brand overhaul.

“High-fashion accessory retailers like Sunglass Hut need to offer customers a wide range of fresh and relevant products, and then enable store associates to maximise their time helping customers to make great choices,” he said.

“This will let Sunglass Hut collaborate and accelerate the delivery of localised products, even while simplifying the associate’s job so they can focus on delivering great, personalised, in-store experiences.”

Other One Door customers globally include O2, Vodafone, Cox Communications and

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