Tiger of Sweden CEO Linda Dauriz believes that the unexpected can take many forms. In the fashion industry, that can mean new shapes, new fits, and new materials with innovative functionalities. And she hopes that, in the future, consumers will still delight in the unexpected, even as brands increasingly personalize their goods and services.
Dauriz joined Stockholm-based fashion house Tiger of Sweden in December 2019 from Hugo Boss, where she was director of customer experience and corporate development. Tiger of Sweden, established more than a century ago by two Scandinavian menswear tailors, today offers premium ready-to-wear and accessory collections for both men and women. Dauriz focuses on increasing the brand’s relevance online and in the 1,200-plus stores in Europe, Canada, and South Africa that carry its collections.
Dauriz recently shared her thoughts on the future of apparel shopping with McKinsey’s Justine Jablonska. The following are edited excerpts of the conversation.
A differentiated customer experience
I’m convinced we’re going to move away from the notion of omnichannel shopping, the seamless merging [of the customer experience] across all channels. I believe the fundamentals will stay the same: retailers will need to have the utmost transparency about inventory availability across channels. Where is your stock located? How fast is it moving? What is in high demand? [That information will then] trigger, based on customer feedback, all the required actions in the supply chain.
But the customer experience will be differentiated by channel. So customers who seek a frictionless transaction will shop online and have [their purchase] delivered to their house within the next two hours. But customers who seek a pleasant shopping experience—and really want to indulge and treat themselves—will seek out brick-and-mortar stores, with their favorite personal-shopping assistants advising them on their style and fit, and really connecting with them on an emotional level.
The future of shopping: Technology everywhere
Infinite personalization, still some surprises
There are brands today that already are top notch when it comes to personalization, be it online or offline. In brick-and-mortar retail, there are retailers that know you intimately: your personal situation, your preferences, your birthdays, your anniversaries. They can read your mind and know what you want even before you realize it yourself. In my view, we will see more players raising their game to that level.
Today’s data environment already has the power to personalize anything we buy to the infinite degree. We are totally transparent as customers. In the future, though, I hope that we will still be surprised by designers’ creations—and really treasure the unexpected.
Today’s data environment already has the power to personalize anything we buy to the infinite degree. In the future, though, I hope that we will still be surprised by designers’ creations—and really treasure the unexpected.
Unexpected in fashion can mean unexpected designs—creativity flowing into new shapes, new fits—but also innovative materials with new functionalities you would never have expected. There is a lot of innovation going on in technical and functional fabrics. And who knows what’s going to be out there for us in ten years?
