Curated Shopping – What about assisted shopping?

Curated shopping experienced a significant surge in popularity over the past decade, driven primarily by the success of fashion experts like MODOMOTO and Outfittery as a convenient shopping option for those who dislike in-person shopping. This trend soon extended into the world of interior design and home planning.

Almost a decade after its boom, what is the status of this once-popular shopping trend?

What does “curated shopping” mean?

Curated Shopping explained simply and briefly

The term "curated shopping" describes an innovative online business model that distinguishes itself from conventional online retail through tailored, personal advice . As part of this curated shopping experience, online shops first ask their customers about their individual wishes and needs. They then compile a selection of suitable products, which are delivered directly to the customer's home.

There, customers have the opportunity to try out selected items in a familiar environment and keep only the products they truly like. Products they don't like can be easily returned. An alternative term for "curated shopping" is "curated commerce ," which highlights the essence of this unique shopping experience.

Curated Shopping in Detail

It's essentially the online equivalent of personalized advice from brick-and-mortar stores. This form of personal style and shopping consultation is aimed primarily at busy men.

Algorithms and/or style consultants calculate an optimal product combination for each individual customer. In other words, much like the curator of an art exhibition, an expert makes the selection.

Curated shopping is an innovative concept that is gaining increasing importance in the world of online shopping.

Curated shopping is about providing customers with individual and tailored advice to create a stress-free and inspiring home. Specialized companies like Roomhero closely with experts who possess in-depth knowledge of interior design.

Unlike traditional e-commerce, where customers have to browse through large product catalogs, curated e- a pre-selected range of products within a specific category or theme. The curators are experts in their field and select the best products from various sources. They ensure that the selected items are of high quality and meet the individual needs of the target audience.

The advantage for customers is obvious: Instead of spending hours browsing countless items in various online shops, they receive a personal selection of chosen products that perfectly match their taste and needs.

This not only saves time and nerves, but also ensures that the apartment design and interior architecture create a harmonious overall picture.

Curated shopping providers place great emphasis on excellent service and customer satisfaction.

The e-commerce concept of curated shopping thus offers a win-win situation for all involved. Well-known providers in this area include Outfittery , Modomoto (clothing & fashion), and Roomhero and 99chairs (home design, interior decorating).

With their extensive range of high-quality products and their expert advice, they have already convinced many customers of the advantages of curated shopping.

Target groups and market development in curated shopping

Curated shopping is particularly appealing to men, who are often perceived as hesitant when it comes to purchasing. This target group frequently feels overwhelmed by the sheer number of options offered by conventional online shops. The targeted pre-selection by experts therefore provides welcome relief and is geared towards individual needs. It is noteworthy, however, that this service is no longer exclusively reserved for men. Women are also increasingly benefiting from tailored recommendations in certain categories, which expands the reach and relevance of the service.

The development of the curated shopping market impressively demonstrates that this concept extends far beyond the fashion sector and now encompasses sectors such as jewelry, furniture, and even groceries. This diversification not only underscores the flexibility and adaptability of the model but also appeals to new consumer groups while simultaneously strengthening existing target audiences.

Furthermore, a remarkable trend can be observed in which brick-and-mortar retailers are creating curated shopping experiences and combining them with online elements to form hybrid concepts. This allows them to reach a broader audience and sustainably expand their market presence.

Overall, it appears that curated shopping offers an innovative answer to the needs of a diverse consumer base, taking into account both individual preferences and modern shopping habits.

In practice, this concept works as follows:

While the process is similar in most online shops, there are significant differences in the employment conditions of style consultants and specialists, as well as in the nature of the virtual consultation. Some providers offer this consultation via communication channels familiar to customers – such as WhatsApp, personal chats, or a specially developed shopping app.

Furthermore, at certain retailers, the advice is provided by freelance specialists, resulting in a diverse consulting approach.

1. Questionnaire

At the start of the customer experience, the customer receives an attractively designed digital questionnaire, which they can easily complete and return to the shop. This provides the shop with valuable information about the customer's personal preferences, including style preferences, favorite colors, and preferred materials. The user-friendly interface reduces the effort required from the customer, making the experience more pleasant.

2. Advice from style and fashion experts

In the next step, the customer receives a message or a call from a member of the shop staff. Any remaining questions are answered to help select suitable products. The fashion expert then presents these carefully chosen items to the customer and offers expert support in making their decision.

3. Shipping of the products

If the customer approves the selection, the items will be shipped immediately. Customer selection: The customer has the opportunity to try out the products at their leisure in their own home and decide which ones they like. Returning the remaining products: The customer can usually return the items that do not meet their expectations to the online shop free of charge. They only pay for the products they actually want to keep.

This structured and customer-oriented process not only contributes to customer satisfaction but also emphasizes the shop's commitment to a positive shopping experience.

Specific advantages and challenges of the curated shopping approach for companies

Curated shopping is a concept that focuses not only on short-term profits but, above all, on long-term success. At its core, it enables companies to continuously adapt their product range to the individual needs of their clientele through the targeted analysis of customer data, which simultaneously leads to increased customer satisfaction. The advantages of this approach are numerous:

Personalized service strengthens customer relationships. This leads to a loyal customer base, which forms the foundation for sustainable growth.

By sending individually tailored product selections, consumers are motivated to buy impulsively, which can noticeably increase sales figures.

The collected data enables precise segmentation of the customer base and lays the foundation for effective data warehouses . These approaches are crucial for optimizing marketing strategies and thus maximizing revenue.

High customer satisfaction also correlates with customers' willingness to spend more, which significantly increases the value of customer relationships.

Almost ten years ago, Modomoto quickly grew to around 200 employees, advised over 200,000 customers, and rapidly began its international expansion. Its biggest competitor, Outfittery, long since expanded beyond targeting German men, soon establishing a presence in Switzerland, Austria, the Benelux countries, as well as Sweden and Denmark.

Even established online retailers have supplemented their business model with shopping advice (e.g. Zalando).

Zalando 's decision to discontinue its curated shopping service Zalon in September 2022 demonstrates that this concept also presents challenges. Although Zalando has indicated the possibility of integrating the service into Zalando Plus, concrete progress in this direction is still lacking. The closure of a guided shopping channel by such a large fashion company could suggest that the concept did not achieve the hoped-for success.

While Modomoto disappeared from the scene in 2019, Outfittery's business model still seems to be working.

The challenges of curated shopping in e-commerce should not be underestimated for the supplier side:

• The expenses for experts, stylists and consultants directly impact the profit margin of the products.
• Complex logistics and the handling of returns require excellent supply chain management – ​​a challenge that is not always easy to overcome.
• Frequent returns contradict the principles of a sustainable business concept and raise significant questions regarding the environmental impact.
• Furthermore, customers have to disclose a large amount of personal information, which presents a hurdle and may limit the user experience.

Overall, it is clear that while curated shopping certainly offers opportunities, it is also important to carefully consider the associated challenges and develop innovative solutions.

Curated shopping for your home – ROOMHERO

Not everyone can afford an expensive interior designer for their individual home design. Now they don't need to, because ROOMHERO first curated shopping provider for furniture and accessories, offers photorealistic 3D animations to give you a feel for your future living space.

Founded in 2014, the Frankfurt-based PropTech company ROOMHERO revolutionized interior design nearly a decade ago through digital technologies. Starting with the idea of ​​offering a simple furnishing service for people moving house, ROOMHERO quickly established itself as a digital interior design provider . The company focuses on furnished residential and office properties in the B2B sector.

Real estate companies benefit significantly from the all-in-one service: fully furnished properties increase rental opportunities and rental prices. The company caters to flexible housing models such as co-living and micro-apartments and utilizes advanced technology-driven processes for fast processing.

online configurator allows customers to implement their individual design wishes in modular solutions, saving time and money. Collaboration with partners like the MMV Group expands the offering to include financing options for furniture, enabling ROOMHERO to provide its customers with a more stress-free service.

Arthur Rehm, CIO and co-founder of ROOMHERO, emphasized in a statement on the MMV Group's website the importance of efficient processes and flexible solutions, as well as the excellent collaboration with the MMV Group to improve the customer experience.

Go directly to the website: www.roomhero.de