Free People Wholesale
Free People originated as a wholesale business, selling young women's clothing to independent boutiques. Today they have a fast growing retail business, both online and in Free People branded boutiques across the country. Yet their wholesale division continues to expand.
With a growing and increasingly distributed buyership, Free People decided to develop a site that would allow buyers and reps to conduct their business online in a branded environment that paid homage to the experience buyers have when they go to the NY, Chicago or L.A. showrooms.
In addition to facilitating purchases, buyers would be given a set of tools that would give them greater control of their relationship with Free People, access to previous orders and account information, and detailed information on the state of open orders.
Responsibilities
The site couples a neutral style for the main site elements with dramtic photography, imbuing the site with constantly changing flavor. Big impact, minimal burden.
The site couples a neutral style for the main site elements with dramtic photography, imbuing the site with constantly changing flavor. Big impact, minimal burden.
The site couples a neutral style for the main site elements with dramtic photography, imbuing the site with constantly changing flavor. Big impact, minimal burden.
In addition to the typical product grid, buyers can view products in a format similar to photo sharing sites, or view an animated slideshow of products in a given category.
At any time, buyers can open the details pane and begin ordering their items. They can always utlilize the thumbnail stream to jump forward and back in the line-up of products.
Buyers have the ability to easily select their colors and quanities, with dynamic calculation of their totals in real-time.
The slideshow motif utilizing thumbnails and slideshows is not common to eCommerce, yet still feels familiar as a method of navigation.
The shopping basket sorts items into delivery (release) dates, and applies any rules associated with each. Requirements for wholesale shopping can be complex, but are clearly communicated to buyers.
Invoices clearly document orders and are archived for future reference.
Shipping information is also more complex than a typical eCommerce scenario. Orders are usually broken into many shipments. Understand what items are coming and when is vital for store owners.
Representatives have quick access to deep knowledge on the purchasing history of their clients, helping them make better recommendations on new orders and answer client inquiries.
Buyers are able to create and share lists of favorite items, and representatives are able to recommend list of items they believe fit well within their store based on past purchase history and experience.
Design Challenges
Establish a design framework that allows for dramatic visual variation over time with minimal workload requirements.
By creating a stylistically neutral site structure and pairing it with the use of big, loud, dramatic photographs that change with each visit, the site style takes on that of the photography. This allows Free People to highlight the amazing work being done all over their Philly Navy Yard home offices by the artists and designers that make Free People the fun, playful company that it is. An honest "brand expression" simply reflects the true nature of the company. Here we are infusing the buyers with the Free People spirit they are looking to share with their customers.
Create an experience that goes beyond a typical eCommerce site and engages in the type of experience buyers have when they are in a showroom.
When buyers shop Free People showrooms or trade show booths, they both actively flip through racks of clothing or have an arrangement of items presented to them. They are often accompanied by the representative and maintain a relationship with that individual. These were ideas that were important to retain. Utilizing a photo slideshow motif, familiar to them from photo sharing websites, buyers have the ability to watch the items as an animated slideshow, view items as a linear stream of products or dig deep and get down to business in single product format.
Provide buyers and their representatives with information and tools that will ease the process of managing existing orders and making new ones.
Wholesale orders are much more complex than regular eCommerce interaction. Buyers are purchasing multiples of individual styles, in a variety of sizes and colors, some of which have order minimums or other restrictions. It was important to make these complexities understandable.
Managing placed orders is also complex. Styles are released at different dates and vary in availability. A single order may contain items from several delivery categories, with individual items on backorder or shipping at different times. Wholesale buyers were given the ability to easily check to see where their orders were, which items haves shipped and how the orders are broken into multiple shipments when necessary. Representatives can get deep account information and put together presentations of recommended garments.