Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2015 - 43

PHOTOGR APHY BY RYAN FR ANCOZ

Who's renting?

Rent frock Repeat's customers fall into the 3555 age group, and are typically professionals who
lead active social lives and attend a full calendar of
charity balls, black-tie galas, business receptions,
weddings, milestone birthdays and the like.
Renting a dress provides these women with a number of financial and emotional benefits, Wieber says.
"It allows women to step outside of their comfort
zone, because they don't have to buy an investment
piece. It's not, 'Well, I should probably buy black because I can get more wear out of that.' They can come
in and say, 'I want the one that has the butterflies,
or the flowers, or the one that's bright red.' They can
wear something that they would not normally buy."
That customer response was not what the partners first expected.
Says Wieber: "When we first started, we thought
this was going to be for fashionistas, a youngerskewed audience who cared about the designer and
the season. And I'll tell you that's only about 2-5 per
cent of our people. The women who come in could
care less about who the designer is. They just want
a dress that makes them look fabulous."
Customers of the store are encouraged to sign up
online to become members so their profiles can be
kept updated with sizes, style preferences and upcoming social events. The information is also helpful for corporate planning purposes.
"We use that information to make sure we're buying
what's right for them. So if the bulk of our members
are size 6, 8, 10-guess what, those are the sizes we're
going to buy more of," Wieber says. "The profiles really help us learn who our market is and what we should
be buying, and which events they're going to."
www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

INDEPENDENT-MINDED
Wieber spoke in Toronto
as part of Retail Council
of Canada's MySTORE,
MySTORY roadshow series. The series, sponsored
by Moneris and RBC Royal Bank, toured Canadian cities
connecting independent merchants with other successful
retailers to engage and learn.
Series PresentedSPONSORED
by
BY

Showroom browsing is also encouraged, she says.

"We tell women to come in even if they don't have an
event to go to. Our customers can try dresses on, and we'll
save their favourites to an online wish list. And when an
event comes up, those dresses are literally at their fingertips. They just need to come in and pick it up. It's a much
different retail experience."
Personalized experience

Input from resident stylists enhances the experience as
well. "Our stylists can help our customers find what's right for
their body type and their personality and the event they're attending," Wieber says, adding: "We help with the accessories,
makeup, shoes and what they should do with their hair."
The goal is to continue adding more in-store amenities,
including makeup, hair and nail services to complement the
current rental mix of dresses, accessories, purses and shoes.
"We think there's a need for it, and we feel like women are
already coming to us because they don't have time to shop.
Who has time to drive from mall to mall to mall? So we're

HOLIDAY 2015 | CANADIAN RETAILER

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