September 24, 2012
Bonobos Opens Third Guideshop in Palo Alto
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Palo Alto, CA & New York, NY - Bonobos, the largest Internet-launched men's clothing brand in the United States, announced the company's third Guideshop in Palo Alto, which opened on September 17th.
Bonobos Guideshop is an e-commerce showroom designed as Bonobos' answer to the traditional retail experience. The Bonobos Guideshop Palo Alto will be a physical space serving as a highly personal extension of Bonobos' comprehensive customer service for those who want to see and try on the clothing in person before placing an order on the popular retail website.
Currently, the company has e-commerce showrooms in New York and Boston, with plans to introduce the concept in additional domestic cities by the end of the year.
"The positive response to our initial Bonobos Guideshops, coupled with the tremendous sales success of these spaces reinforces that we're on to something with our e-commerce showrooms," says Bonobos Founder and CEO Andy Dunn.
"We've created a uniquely casual and stress-free environment that allows us to have a personal connection with the customer, while allowing them to feel confident in knowing exactly what fits. Bonobos' e-commerce showroom concept helps us make good on the promise of creating a better shopping experience."
The e-commerce showroom will be located in the company's new West Coast technology office on South California Avenue. The office is headed up by CTO Michael Hart and the personalization and infrastructure teams consisting of system engineers and product design professionals.
The Palo Alto team focuses on continually improving the Bonobos customer experience through technology and will be able to process real-time feedback as a result of proximity to the showroom, which will also serve as a research and development facility. Bonobos' technology team will be able to engage with visitors and implement feedback to build an e-commerce platform that offers a high degree of personalization to help better serve customers and further improve the brand's ability to deliver on its promise of fit.
Assisting visitors in the Guideshop are Bonobos Guides, experts trained in fit and style that walk customers through the unique range of Bonobos items, from suits and denim to button-down shirts and Bonobos' best selling washed chinos. Bonobos Guides provide the hybrid service of a fit expert and style advisor in a relaxed, one-on-one environment without the stress of a traditional retail store.
As a result of this high-touch service model, orders placed online following Guideshop visits indicate that sales per square foot in the Manhattan location are five times the industry average of a traditional retail store; in addition, purchases made after visiting a Guideshop are twice the value of the average Bonobos order.
Bonobos Palo Alto is located at 975 South California Ave., Suite 250. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm, and Saturday 10am to 7pm. Guideshop appointments can be scheduled by visiting www.bonobos.com/guideshop
Guideshop appointments are always complimentary.
Bonobos is a technology-driven clothing brand focused on delivering great fit, high energy, and superb customer experience. Launched in 2007 on the Internet with better-fitting men's pants, Bonobos is now the largest apparel brand ever built on the web in the United States. In 2011 Bonobos extended offline, launching e-commerce showrooms called Guideshops, to bring personalized, one-to-one service to those wanting to experience the brand in-person.
In 2012, Bonobos expanded its distribution to a partnership with Nordstrom, bringing Bonobos apparel into select doors nationwide and to Nordstrom.com. Across channels, Bonobos is focused on delivering a well-targeted brand promise: world-class fit, an innovative and easy shopping experience and an energetic brand spirit. Bonobos was named "One of America's Hottest Brands" by Advertising Age, "Best Men's Pants" by New York Magazine, one of Inc. Magazine's "20 Awesome Facebook Pages" and was awarded Crain's "Best Places to Work in New York City".
Visit www.bonobos.com
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
