Project Overview
The Problem:
Fashion enthusiasts encounter affordability barriers with Free People's premium prices, while resellers struggle to sell their items and acquire funds for new purchases. Meanwhile, concerns about fashion waste persist. Despite the popularity of online thrifting platforms, access to Free People items remains limited. Additionally, online selling platforms often struggle with authentication and maintaining good quality standards.
The Opportunity:
Free People creating an in-house thrift shop to resell items from previous buyers, addressing affordability for consumers and providing a better platform for struggling resellers. This initiative supports sustainable consumption by promoting clothing recycling and offers a dedicated space for reselling Free People items. Sellers benefit from reaching more buyers and earning funds for new purchases, fostering a mutually beneficial community and contributing to a more sustainable fashion industry.
The Impact:
ReLove Mart’s initiative has led to a surge in returning and new customers for Free People. With a 30% increase in repeat purchases and a 40% rise in new customer acquisitions since the launch. By offering affordable options and promoting sustainability, Free People has not only expanded our customer base but also deepened brand loyalty among existing patrons.
My Design Process:
1. Empathize
2. Define
3. Ideate
4. Prototype
Understanding The Competition
Research Goal
The research aims to assess the viability and impact of Free People's proposed in-house thrift shop initiative on consumers and sellers in the secondhand fashion market. By analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, and stakeholder input, the goal is to inform strategic decisions and implementation strategies for Free People's entry into the resale market. Ultimately, the research goal is to enhance accessibility to Free People products, promote sustainability, and create a mutually beneficial ecosystem for consumers and sellers within the Free People community.
Methodologies
Immersion
Competitive Analysis
Interviews
Personas
Surveys
Competitive Analysis
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Lululemon
Strengths
Offers Lululemon products at lower prices, making them accessible to a broader audience.
Appeals to environmentally conscious consumers by promoting the reuse and extension of product lifecycle.
Weaknesses
Limited selection compared to Lululemon's official store.
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Poshmark
Strengths
Large and diverse inventory, catering to different tastes and budgets.
User-friendly platform with social networking features, fostering community engagement.
Weaknesses
Competition from other sellers and brands can make it challenging for individual listings to stand out.
Quality control and authenticity issues may arise with secondhand items.
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Juicy Couture
Strengths
Appeals to nostalgia and brand loyalists seeking affordable Juicy Couture items.
Offers a curated selection of secondhand Juicy Couture products, focusing on quality and authenticity.
Weaknesses
Limited appeal beyond fans of Juicy Couture or those interested in retro fashion.
Reliance on the popularity of the brand's past designs may limit growth potential.
You only get the credit once you make a sale.
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Patagonia
Strengths
Aligns with Patagonia's brand values of sustainability and durability, appealing to conscious consumers.
Offers a wide range of pre-loved Patagonia products, including clothing, outerwear, and gear.
Weaknesses
Limited availability of specific sizes and styles due to the nature of secondhand inventory.
Potential competition from other resale platforms and official Patagonia stores.
User Interview Debrief
Overview:
I was able to conduct 10 interviews with research participants to gather insights on the proposed ReLove Mart x Free People initiative. Of the participants, 60% have been both consumers and sellers, offering a balanced perspective on their experiences with the platform. Another 20% were solely consumers, providing insights into the shopping process and preferences for secondhand items. The remaining 20% were general participants, offering a more diverse set of viewpoints. This mix of perspectives helped me understand the needs, challenges, and expectations of potential users of ReLove Mart, informing how the initiative can best serve its audience.
User Goals & Needs
Overall, even if people could “afford” to buy free people, it wasn’t on a regular basis.
They considered free people products more of a higher price point for everyday clothes.
Transactions should be straight forward.
Reasonable prices
Fair trade ins
Quality should be like new.
Transparency of items and its condition
User Pain Points
Authenticity
Quality check
From a seller viewpoint, feeling like they got ripped off/not getting much money back compared to what they originally paid.
Inconsistent sizing from the brand
“Final sale”
Don’t want to feel like they are searching for things, straight access.
Size inclusivity
Synthesizing My Research
Research Synopsis:
User interviews for the ReLove Mart x Free People initiative revealed a strong interest in sustainable fashion among urban professionals aged 21-35 with middle to upper-middle income.
While they admire Free People's style, affordability was a concern, leading them to favor thrifting for unique and budget-friendly clothing.
Participants aimed for sustainability, authenticity and quality in the resale process, highlighting challenges in finding secondhand items that fit preferences and concerns about platform reliability.
Overall, the interviews emphasized the importance of sustainability, affordability, and quality in fashion choices.
User Personas
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Stylish Sophie
CUSTOMER & SELL
Sarah, a fashion-forward urban professional aged 25-35 with middle to upper-middle income, loves Free People's unique styles but struggles with a cluttered closet. She seeks to refresh her wardrobe affordably and sustainably by selling gently used clothing to make space for new purchases and earn extra cash. However, time constraints and concerns about resale value and platform reliability pose challenges in her resale journey.
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Sustainable Sarah
CUSTOMER
Sarah, a female urban professional aged 25-35 with middle to upper-middle income, prioritizes sustainability and thrift shopping to reduce her environmental impact. While she admires Free People's bohemian style, their prices often exceed her budget, leading her to rely on thrifting for affordable and unique clothing. Her goal is to refresh her wardrobe with the latest Free People pieces while minimizing waste and maximizing her budget, valuing convenience and efficiency in the resale process. However, Sarah faces challenges in finding secondhand Free People items that fit her style preferences and size, along with concerns about the availability and reliability of sustainable resale platforms.
Prioritizing Feature Set
Through affinity mapping, I took the insights from user interviews and sorted them out. This helped me spot the bigger pain points and needs that kept coming up. These insights were the blueprint for what I was about to design and build.
User Flow With New Initiative, ReLove Mart
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Trading-In an Item to ReLove Mart
Buying An Item From ReLove Mart
ReLove Mart x Free People UI Components
For the UI design library, I maintained existing brand guidelines and aesthetic to develop new elements, ensuring consistency and alignment with Free People's established visual identity.
Priority Iterations
User testing and prototyping was conducted through Maze. There was actually a 100% failure rate originally, with ReLove Mart being too hidden and users not knowing where exactly to go. After revisions, I tested with a new group of people and now had a 100% direct success rate.
Revisions:
ReLove Mart was originally too hidden
ReLove Mart now has its own dedicated page
Revisions:
Added “resell” to second hand products so users were aware
Revisions:
Added condition/quality that was easy to read right away
Revisions:
Feedback from user testing was that users felt like there should be some sort of confirmation after submitting the form
Reflection & Conclusion
Reflection
Working on this project to add a feature to an existing product has been an exciting experience and opportunity, especially because it involved collaborating with a brand I am deeply passionate about, Free People. This project provided a unique opportunity to blend my enthusiasm for the brand with my professional expertise. I integrated the new feature, ReLove Mart, while staying true to Free People's established brand identity. Conducting user research and testing ultimately allowed us to gain the insights we needed for user preferences and challenges to move forward. Overall, this project to me has been a testament to the importance of combining passion with professional skills to enhance existing products and meet the evolving needs of consumers.
Next Steps
Measure how successful this initiative is long term.
Keep on iterating based off of further more in depth customer feedback.