Veteran retailer Sir Stuart Rose is to join fashion recommendations site Dressipi as its chairman. Sir Stuart, who previously chaired M&S is to take a part-time advisory role at the company as it looks to boost uptake of its service among high street and online retailers.
The Dressipi service works out a Fashion Fingerprint for each woman who uses it, and then recommends clothes that would suit both her taste and her shape. It promises to boost conversion rates and basket values for online and multichannel retailers. Users can also ask style questions and browse editorial content put together by a team of stylists and fashion journalists, including former Daily Mail fashion editor Natalie Theo.
Boden and BrandAlley have already signed up to the service, co-founded by Sarah McVittie and Donna Kelly , and more retailers are set to be unveiled in early 2013.
Rose comments: “Retailers have been crying out for years for a solution that can help them merchandise and sell clothes more effectively online. Getting a woman to buy an outfit on the internet is about much more than showing them it’s available in their size. Before they click ‘buy’ they want to feel confident it will suit them and complement garments they already own. Giving online shoppers the confidence to make a purchase is the problem I think Dressipi have nailed with their recommendation service.”
The announcement came as Dressipi published its first Fashion Brands Index. Zara came top in the index, voted as favourite brand by 33% of the 40,000 women who took part, and was followed by H&M (26%), Topshop (21%), River Island (20%), Next (19%) and M&S, Mango and New Look (17%). Online-only retailer Asos won 16% of votes. the market average of 16% growth in 2011, as measured by IMRG.
