2.1 Proposal for Installing a Mirror Inside Each Change Room at Aritzia to Improve Customer Experience and Satisfaction (Revised)

To: Dr. Erika Paterson
From: Angie Zhou
Date: February 23, 2023
Subject: Proposal for Installing a Mirror Inside Each Change Room at Aritzia to Improve Customer Experience and Satisfaction

Introduction

Aritzia is a popular Canadian fashion brand that mainly caters to women of all ages. The brand offers a mix of both in-house and third-party designs, with a focus on creating high-quality clothing that is both versatile and timeless. Aritzia places a strong emphasis on customer service and has implemented several initiatives to enhance the customer experience. Some ways that Aritzia tries to deliver excellent customer service include personalized styling, easy returns, efficient customer support, and an engaging shopping experience. However, despite the brand’s efforts and popularity, customers often express concerns about the change room experience. Rather than incorporating a mirror inside each change room, Aritzia places one large mirror in the shared space outside the change rooms to be used amongst all customers. Although this may be a sales tactic to provide sales representatives the opportunity to style customers with more items or flatter customers into buying, customers find the lack of privacy unsettling. The final report will be addressed to the Aritzia executive team, specifically the Executive Vice President, Retail, Pippa Morgan.

Statement of Problem

Despite Aritzia’s effort to provide customers with a unique and personalized shopping experience, many customers have expressed concerns about the change room design and experience. Instead of equipping each individual change room with a mirror, Aritzia has opted for a single large mirror in a shared space outside the change rooms for all customers to use. This arrangement limits customers’ ability to try on clothes comfortably in privacy and leads to decreased customer satisfaction, as well as privacy concerns. As a result, customers may purchase items without first trying them on, which increases the likelihood of customers buying the wrong size and increases the number of returns. Additionally, without knowing how items look on, customers may take longer to make purchase decisions, leading to a less efficient shopping experience.

Proposed Solution

Aritzia can enhance its customers’ in-store shopping experience by installing a mirror inside each individual change room. This would enable customers to try on clothes in privacy, eliminating the discomfort of feeling watched and critiqued by others. Additionally, this would enable customers to make more informed decisions regarding the item’s fit and appearance on their body, which would ultimately lead to high customer satisfaction and reduced number of item returns. Having a dedicated mirror in each change room would also reduce the time spent going back and forth between the change room and the store floor, leading to a more efficient shopping experience and faster checkout time.

Scope

To assess the feasibility of installing a mirror inside each individual change room, the following areas of inquiry will be pursued:

1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of the current change room design and experience?
2. What proportion of current Aritzia customers would support the installation of mirrors inside each change room?
3. How much do the change room design and experience impact customers’ overall shopping experience?
4. What proportion of current Aritzia customers prefers to be able to try on items before purchasing?
5. How do customers decide whether or not to buy an item if they do not first try it on?
6. What are the costs and best places to purchase full-length mirrors?

Methods

To provide a more comfortable and satisfactory shopping experience for current and future Aritzia customers, it is important to investigate current customer perspectives on the change room design and experience at Aritzia stores. This can be achieved by collecting anonymous feedback from current Aritzia customers through an online survey. Those willing to participate in the survey will be the primary data source in determining the need for installing a mirror inside each individual change room.

My Qualifications

As a loyal Aritzia customer of many years, I have firsthand experience with the change rooms at Aritzia. Aritzia is a popular fashion brand in Canada, and as a Canadian, I am also familiar with the opinions that people commonly have about shopping at Aritzia. I believe my personal experiences and familiarity with the brand provide me the qualifications to research and propose a solution to this topic.

Conclusion

Aritzia recognizes the importance of providing a satisfactory shopping experience for current and future customers. However, there are currently limitations to the change room design and experience that need to be addressed, such as the absence of mirrors inside each change room. By addressing the areas of inquiry listed above, I hope to determine the feasibility of installing a mirror inside each individual change room at Aritzia to improve overall customer experience.