Multi-Channel

Case Study: Bravissimo

In 1995 Sarah Tremellen set up Bravissimo. Bravissimo started with (and still has) a very niche product range – bras in cup sizes D-KK. So they are very much at the ‘niche’ end of the product range scale, and they really edit their range to make sure that every product they sell is up to standard. The business started mail order, and has now diversified online and into 21 stores around the UK. It fits perfectly into our MultiChannel eCommerce Business Structure, and is one firm that has done a good job of integrating the 3 sales channels. When a customer gets to the till in-store they’re asked for their postcode and their customer records are bought up on the till, so the company has a complete view of that customer’s interactions with them. Plus, if the item the customer wants isn’t in store it can be posted to them, and customers can ask the call centre to deliver to the store for themas well. So the customer sees a VERY joined up process.

In 1995, ladies needing these larger cup sizes would enter their local department store lingerie section and ask, “Do you have anything in my size?”, buying what (if anything) was available. Sarah Tremellen’s aim was to make it easier for these ladies to find bras that fit, and to have a range of bras to choose from. With her target customers having such a bad experience in the past it would have been easy to just assume that providing the products would be enough to secure the sales. That hasn’t been the Bravissimo approach though. Their USP isn’t the larger bra sizes, it’s the customer service. Every store has a number of well-proportioned changing rooms, each with a chair and pretty gown. Plus several fully trained bra fitters, who are able to make sure you’ve got the right size of bra (which can even fix back problems, and makes you look 10x better) and know the whole range inside out – even which brand will suit your shape the best. The in-store experience together with the product selection and joined-up IT systems show how Bravissimo has put customer service at the centre of everything they do. It’s also enabled them to successfully extend the product range from just underwear into swimwear and, most recently, the spin out clothing label PepperBerry.