Transforming the In-Store Experience

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates a complex retail ecosystem across multiple brands and global markets. The existing DSP served primarily as a mobile point-of-sale solution, but voice of customer data showed that human interaction was the most impactful element of the in-store brand experience. This insight, combined with high associate turnover and varying levels of product knowledge, presented an opportunity to leverage technology in a more meaningful way. 

The Digital Sales Platform (DSP) is just one of many apps that the associate had to learn and it was implemented as a portable selling platform. Shoppers, however, wanted associates to deliver real-time product recommendations, seamless inventory updates, and personalized insights, but the existing DSP fell short.

A Comprehensive Research Approach

The core challenge was a striking paradox: while human interaction was crucial for customer satisfaction, 81% of the global store workforce were part-time employees with a 47% turnover every 90 days. Additionally, 42% of these associates lacked confidence in assisting customers, and 70% felt uncertain about their product knowledge. This created a persistent gap in delivering consistent, high-quality customer service.

We discovered that 81% of the global stores workforce were part-time employees with a 47% turnover every 90 days. New store associates became the primary persona of our visioning workshops.  

Transformative Outcomes

We evolved DSP's positioning from a "Digital Selling Platform" to a "Digital Service Platform," with seven core experience pillars: Product Finder, Super PDP (Product Detail Page), Quick Transactions, Member Services, Associate Portal, Knowledge Center, and Accessibility. Each pillar was designed to support different aspects of the customer journey while building associate confidence and capability.

The new vision emphasized:

• Real-time, contextual support for associates

• Intelligent product and styling recommendations

• Seamless handoffs between associates during customer interactions

• Integration of associate feedback and knowledge sharing

• Unified experience across all store technology touchpoints

Looking Ahead: Redefining the Retail Experience

While the full implementation was still in progress, early pilots showed promising results. More importantly, the project demonstrated how technology could bridge the gap between high associate turnover and consistent service delivery.

The most valuable lesson was realizing that our challenge wasn't just about creating better tools - it was about fundamentally rethinking how technology could amplify human capabilities in retail. Instead of trying to replace human interaction with technology, we focused on making every associate as knowledgeable and confident as our best performers, regardless of their tenure.

This project reinforced my belief that the best experience strategy work happens at the intersection of human needs, business objectives, and technological capabilities. It's not enough to just understand user needs - you need to grasp the full complexity of the business context and be able to articulate a vision that brings stakeholders together around a common goal.