We are delighted to welcome Karen Nolan (Lingerie Buyer for Smith Bradbeer Romsey and Salisbury) as a new regular contributor to Underlines Magazine. For her first article she takes us on a journey in planning & preparation and execution of their Post Breast Cancer Event.
“When we look at retail today as independents, it’s easy to feel that retail has been reduced to a numbers game and looking solely at the transactions going through the till by the big chains. For independents we have much more than that. We have a safe space and a community anchor that keeps our customers loyal to us. Behind our fitting room doors we don’t just see measurements, we see life stages.
“This reality is what inspired myself and my team to launch a regular ‘Lingerie Department Safe Space Events’ series. The aim is simple; to continue to open our department one evening every other month, to the women in our community to provide a holistic side to their customer relationship with us. The hope is that in turn, they will see us as the place to shop with rather than the big chains. We have been holding small events for women who have been suffering with breast cancer for a couple of years and now, we are expanding to other stages in women’s lives.
“As lingerie retailers and bra fitters, we all know the physical impact that cancer can have on women buying bras. Lumpectomies, mastectomies, reconstructions come with experiences and complications that affect bra fitting and women’s relationships with their own bodies.
“We already have quite a wide community of customers who have had breast cancer due to the special care service that we provide every day and I will go into that in a different article. Every year we hold an in-store event for women who have had breast cancer and this year we decided to hold one again but do it a little differently.
Planning:
The Main Aim – To broaden the range of service that we give to our care customers. Rather than a pamper night as always, to allow them to arm themselves with information and find that they are not alone in feelings and experiences.
The Target Audience – Customers who are on our care service database as well as newly referred from the local hospitals. We kept the tickets to 20 women to ensure they have enough opportunity for one-to-one advice and to keep the atmosphere intimate.
Guest Lineup – We had a local GP who specialised in women’s health and she brought her colleague so that everyone would have a chance at one-to-one advice. A talk from a local hair loss specialist and a talk from an Anita clinical fitter to give advice on bras.
Floor Layout – We held this in the lingerie department. We cleared a space for refreshments and seating which gave a more relaxed feeling to the event. This also gave the opportunity to shop in the department without leaving the atmosphere or missing out on anything.
Timetable:
Upon arrival, customers were welcomed with drinks, canapes, goodie bags and the opportunity to browse while they waited for the speakers to begin. We kept the first two talks to a punchy 15 minutes:
- A local hair loss specialist sharing advice on changes in hair texture and loss.
- An Anita clinical fitter discussing post-surgery bra fitting challenges.
After a comfort break, a local women’ s health Dr led a 30-minute session managing the various issues caused by cancer. Medical advice is always the primary draw at these events so allocating more time here was essential.
We also had Gwen from Mey on hand to help with fittings and advice on Mey underwear fabrics. Afterwards, our guests mingled, shopped, had bra fittings and were able to speak one to one to all of our experts.
The Raw Figures:
We had 14 women which made the evening quite intimate – they spoke more freely – and allowed each of them to have one to one attention at some point in the evening. While we generated £800 in sales, our primary goal here was to foster relationships and provide an avenue for help with the customers that we speak to in the fitting rooms.
“our primary goal here was to foster relationships and provide an avenue for help with the customers that we speak to in the fitting rooms”
The Atmosphere: What a wonderful evening it was. The space was filled with chatter followed by attentive listening during each speaker’s turn. New friendships were made and we built on our bonds with these women.
The standout moments: Despondency in some of their situations turned into relief and hope as they found themselves armed with information and help and there were smiles all round by the end of the evening. In fact, we found it hard to get them to leave! They enjoyed having the help, the treats and the space to share so much that we didn’t say goodbye to the last customer until well past 9pm!
What we would change next time: It was a lovely evening and very well thought of but I would find a way to increase the energy next time. My aim is to make it feel as if we are herding a group of puppies to get them to sit down.
The overview: Overall, it was a very successful evening. Every single customer left laughing, smiling and thanking us for such a wonderful evening. They also expressed a wish to contact them when we have the next event date decided. The team and I were thoroughly exhausted after a long day but buoyed by the gratitude of the women we serve.
Postscript: Over the following week, we received cards and emails of thanks by some of the women. Two also brought their friends in to see us and purchased more items with us. This does show that events don’t always have a huge impact on takings on the night, but they can help to ensure future customer engagement.
