Nordstrom is expanding its business through new partnerships with other retailers and streamlining its styling services. The retailer will now offer Allbirds shoes as part of its sustainability push and sell ASOS products in a new immersive experience aimed at young shoppers. It will also eliminate the Trunk Club brand along, which featured the at-home try-on “trunk” curation model.
The Allbirds partnership will launch on June 1 with select men’s and women’s styles, including Wool Runner, Tree Runner, Tree Lounger, Tree Breezer, Tree Flyer and Tree Dasher, at 14 stores. The collection will expand later in 2022 and become available at Nordstrom.com as well as additional physical locations.
Both Nordstrom and Allbirds share a commitment to sustainability, which is part of the reason for the partnership. Nordstrom is aiming to ensure 15% of its product assortment qualifies for the Sustainable Style category, a curated collection of items made with sustainably sourced materials and ingredients, by 2025. All Allbirds shoes are made with renewable materials like plant-based leather, meaning each qualifies for this designation.
“Partnering with a sustainability leader like Allbirds allows Nordstrom to better act on our brand promise to deliver the most relevant selection from brands that matter most to our customers,” said Tacey Powers, EVP and General Merchandising Manager of Shoes at Nordstrom in a statement. “We look forward to growing our partnership with a unique and values-driven brand and expanding our Sustainable Style assortment.”
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Nordstrom and ASOS Launch and Immersive Experience for 20-Somethings
Nordstrom’s ASOS partnership will launch online and at 10 stores. This includes ASOS | Nordstrom at The Grove in Los Angeles, an immersive shopping experience designed specifically to engage 20-something customers. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot space will feature experiential elements and relevant brands that are specially curated by both Nordstrom and ASOS. It also will feature other complementary brands with shops-in-shops from Nike and Levi’s and an assortment of other brands like WAYF, NAKED Wardrobe and Open Edit.
The shopping experience at the Grove also will serve as a young adult incubator for Nordstrom to evaluate activation concepts that inspire 20-something customers and bridge the gap between digital and physical retail. Plans include flexible content creation spaces that will evolve over time, exclusive services offered by hot brands and community integrations featuring local brands and creators. Some of the services from local partners are:
- Sneaker Cleaning with Jason Markk: Sneaker culture brand Jason Markk will offer cleaning services at ASOS | Nordstrom to help shoppers extend the lives of their shoes while exploring new styles as they browse; and
- Customization with Lot, Stock and Barrel: Lot, Stock and Barrel will offer customization services including chainstitching, custom patchwork, free design, monogramming and more to enhance the customization collaboration experience.
Core Nordstrom services like online order pickup, easy returns and styling will also be available at ASOS | Nordstrom at The Grove, and customers also will be able to pick up online orders from ASOS.com at the location.
What’s Next for Styling at Nordstrom
Nordstrom is continuing to develop its styling services based on customer feedback with an emphasis on increasingly personalized experiences that connect shoppers with the products they want. The response to most offerings has been positive, but Trunk Club is being phased out nearly eight years after the retailer acquired the curated clothing box company.
“As we’ve grown this area of our business, we’ve also gained insight into which services our customers enjoy the most,” said Nordstrom in a statement. “We’ve learned that our customers love personalized digital styling and in-person styling experiences, but we haven’t seen that same level of customer satisfaction with our Trunk Club offering. In response to this feedback, we’ve made the decision to sunset the Trunk Club brand and will no longer serve our customers through trunks.”
Trunk Club’s emphasis on discovery will be continued by other services, including personalized relationships with the retailer’s stylists both online and in-store through appointments, style links and boards. The company noted that shoppers who engage with Nordstrom styling services and connect to the company across multiple channels spend significantly more than other customers.
“The average customer who shops in stores and online across both banners spends 12 times more than a customer using a single channel, and customers who use in-store pickup spend 3.5 times more than customers who don’t,” said Erik Nordstrom, CEO of Nordstrom during a call with investors. “And customers who use our services, like alterations and personal styling, spend by a factor of five to seven times more than customers who don’t.”
