Case Study on Bridal Industry’s Success Story

From Brick-and-Mortar to Digital Transformation: A Retail Apparel’s Journey with AppShark
An Overview of Laine London:

Laine London is a woman owned retail apparel and fashion company based out of Atlanta, Georgia. They provide a chic, high-end experience for brides looking to rent a bridal gown and related products. The industry-changing concept was conceived; not by experts in the bridal industry, but two long-term friends determined to shake up the model of purchasing a dress that’s only worn once, for thousands of dollars.

Having specialized in fashion, retail technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, Miriam and Lundyn devised an innovative wedding solution that offers brides the perfect dress, tailored to their needs at a fraction of the price. They knew the best way to properly scale the company was to digitally transform the customer journey, while ramping up the company’s internal marketing and customer service capabilities.

Workflow:

  • Transitioning from a traditional brick-and-mortar store, Laine London expands their online presence by using the Wix website platform to showcase their products and services.
  • They make it simple for prospective clients to book appointments by integrating Timetap appointment management system into the website. Timetap captures the relevant information from clients, including details about the bride, the wedding, specific preferences and contact information.
  • Once an appointment is scheduled, an Associate emails to send a link to the contact, asking them to complete the bridal quiz. The quiz, delivered by Jebbit, collects the full, comprehensive information about bride’s preferences.
  • All the data collected from appointments and the quiz was being stored in Excel sheets.
Context and Challenge:

Due to an Uncentralized data management system and inconsistent workflows, the client faced the following challenges:

  • Fragmented Data and Communication:The absence of a unified interface between the Sales and Marketing departments led to fragmented data and hampered the communication between the systems and teams.
  • Limitations in Personalization and Targeting:The ineffective use of client data and a lack of personalized messages hindered the organization’s marketing efforts and results.
  • Inefficient Customer Service:Multiple disconnected systems posed challenges for Customer Service Associates, making it difficult to deliver positive customer service experiences. Simply trying to manage the copious amount of data for a growing client base was quickly becoming unmanageable. They realized they needed a single source of truth for their client data, and they turned to Salesforce for the solution.
    The Founders also knew that to survive in today’s B2C retail industry, they’d need a modern way to find, engage, secure and satisfy their customers, and they couldn’t scale the Company outside their local area with only their retail store. A robust, cloud-based digital marketing and CRM solution was needed, and that’s where the partnership with Salesfoce and AppShark began.
Significant Solution:

Addressing the client’s challenges, AppShark provided a comprehensive solution that encompassed both the Salesforce Service and Marketing Clouds. The solution provided a 360-degree view of the customer, automated and streamlined manual tasks and processes, and helped enhance the customer service experience, but internally and externally.

Service Cloud:

  • Custom Data Model: Serving Laine London’s core database, AppShark designed and implemented a custom data model that includes essential data such as Accounts, Weddings, Preferences, Appointments, Cases, and more, ensuring a centralized and organized system. (Single source of truth.)
  • Integration with External Platforms: Jebbit’s integration with Service Cloud via API facilitates smooth data flow into the staging object called ‘Quiz.’ Appshark’s implementation of flow automation ensures synchronization of Quiz data with the core model, incorporating best practices such as rollback mechanisms and fault conditions.
    Additionally, appointment information from Timetap is synced to the Events object using Timetap’s Salesforce connector, while a dedicated flow automation syncs this data to the Appointment object, enabling associates to access and work with it more effectively.
  • Streamlined Case Handling: Cases from various sources seamlessly flow into the system to ensure efficient support for Laine London. These sources include the Support Email, Web Contact Form, and Salesforce Chat. An interesting aspect is the use of multiple alias email accounts tailored to different case types such as Appointments, Orders, and Dress Emergencies. By creating multiple email service addresses, emails from the various alias accounts are directed into the Service Cloud and get assigned to the right queue and cased type.
  • Customized Service Console: A Service Console has been customized to provide a 360 view of customer-related data that includes weddings, fit preferences, appointments, referrals, etc.This tailored solution allows associates to have all the necessary information at their fingertips while working on cases.
  • Einstein Bot: Einstein Bot, powered by AI, is implemented to support customers with various tasks such as Knowledge Base search, issue reporting, case status updates, etc., The bot was extended to the Salesforce Chat on Laine London’s website and Facebook channel, providing consistent assistance to customers.
  • Knowledge Base and Analytics: AppShark configured a knowledge base with various FAQ’s that helps both Associates on cases as well as Customers through Einstein Bot. Additionally, Analytics Reports and Dashboards, including Pipeline View, Service Cloud Reports, and Revenue Dashboard, were developed to provide valuable insights.
Marketing Cloud:
  • Integration with Service Cloud: AppShark integrated Marketing Cloud with Service Cloud through Marketing Cloud Connect, enabling data synchronization between the platforms. This integration allowed the utilization of Service Cloud data for SMS and email marketing.
  • Custom Preference Center: A custom preference center using Cloud Pages and AMPscript has been developed which directly retrieves and updates data from the core system. The preference center enabled customers to manage their communication preferences, including newsletters, ensuring accurate and personalized marketing communication.
  • Journey Builder Journeys: AppShark created two Journey Builder journeys within Marketing Cloud. One is focused on a top-of-the-funnel experience, leveraging a smart capture form for visitors at a ShowFields pop-up store. The other journey targets post-rental wedding day reminders, ensuring customers received timely communications and an overall positive experience. 
  • Automation: AppShark has automated the following:
    • Refreshing newsletter opt-ins and Customer Profiles. 
    • Synchronizing phone numbers between Marketing Cloud and the core system. 
    • Triggering welcome emails for onboarding new customers.
    • Integrating Google Analytics for comprehensive tracking and analysis.

    AppShark’s solution unlocked the full potential of Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud for Laine London, empowering associates, improving customer service, and enhancing marketing communication.

Substantial Results:

AppShark’s solution drove remarkable advancements in customer management, marketing tactics, and service features for Laine London, resulting in the following outcomes:

  • Improved data accuracy and integrity through the centralized core database.
  • Increased customer engagement with targeted email and SMS communication.
  • Enhanced customer service experience with a 360-degree view of cases and preferences.
  • Streamlined appointment management for associates across multiple systems.
  • Seamless integration between Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud for data synchronization.
  • Customized knowledge base and FAQ integration for better customer support.
  • Advanced reporting capabilities for data-driven insights and decision-making.
  • Increased operational efficiency with optimized workflows and automation.
  • Scalable solution that can adapt to future business needs and growth.
  • Ongoing collaboration and support from AppShark for continuous improvements.

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