Signals & Stats

Streamlined shopping

By Jonathan Openshaw 11 : 08 : 2016 Everlane : San Francisco : Bricks And Mortar

San Francisco – Everlane’s new retail concept takes a no-frills approach, with fewer shop assistants, DIY dressing rooms and check-in payments.

Everlane made its name by eliminating unnecessary mark-up costs of up to 10 times the original manufacturing cost
Clothing sizes are displayed on birch plywood racks so that customers can shop independently

Everlane Fit Studio, San Francisco

The new Everlane Fit Studio is the latest addition to the brand’s Mission District headquarters in San Francisco, and is heavily influenced by the technological efficiencies afforded by Silicon Valley. Rather than aggressive shop assistants, shoppers are greeted by a discrete concierge who takes their bags and payment details. The store’s up-front check-in system reduces the final checkout time to 30 seconds, according to Everlane.

The 1,200-square-foot space shares the Everlane website’s minimal aesthetic, and technology is used to streamline the shopping experience to provide the best of digital and physical.

‘Traditional store shopping is broken, and we are seeing how we can make it better,’ says Everlane founder and CEO Michael Preysman. The store is described as a ‘petri dish’ that will enable the brand to examine new retail concepts and technology.

The Big Picture

The Fit Studio aims to combine the seamlessness of online shopping with the sense of discovery that only physical stores can provide. For more on the development of clicks-and-mortar stores, see our macrotrend The Dawn of the Mega-systems.