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Re-designing the selling process for the digital-first era

Background

Levi's is a name know all around the world. Founded in 1853, Levi Strauss opened a wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco that became known as Levi Strauss & Co. Seeing a need for work pants that could hold up under rougher conditions, he and Jacob Davis, a tailor, created the first jean. The first product line designated by the lot number "501" was created in 1890.

Today, Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. They design and market jeans, casual wear, and related accessories for men, women, and children under the Levi's®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™ and Denizen® brands.

Levi Strauss & Co. wanted to drastically transform their sales process for retail and wholesale buyers. They wanted to radically improve the customer experience and reduce the amount of samples they sent out.

Levi's t-shirts - merchandising platform

Solution

Working as with account managers, merchandisers, designers, and executives from Levi Strauss & Co, the DCX team spent 6 weeks learning and proto-typing.

What we discovered was that, no matter 
how 'digital' you make the selling session, if customers haven't engaged with the brands and products beforehand, the selling sessions would be drawn-out and tedious.

Our solution was a chance to extend the selling session process, taking much of the focus and intensity away from the days in the showroom.

We needed to create more time for the buyer to familiarise themselves with their product assortment.

Here's what we did.

1. Design with the actual users

We didn’t just test the new solution with our users, we designed it with them. Co-creation became a vital cog in the successful 'YourX' product engine. We ran weekly co-design sessions to explore all sorts of opportunities. Involving diverse participants meant all the ideas we received were innovative and new.

2, Measured and observed

We watched first-hand how users and customers engaged with the platform, sitting in selling sessions and engaging with users and customers for feedback. This allow us to...

3. Prototype, test, and learn

We never stopped proto-typing, from crafting sketches based on co-creation sessions to delivering clickable prototypes and custom-built interactive prototypes. All this proto-typing and iteration saved a lot of time in quickly removing worthless features from the final product.

4. Cross-functional teamwork

DCX and the Levi Strauss & Co. team came together to ensure the right cross-product team was in place, with experts in the world of fashion, design, product, and technology.

The team was involved in all aspects of creating the new solution, from research and ideation to testing.

51%

increase in pre-booked clothing orders

35%

faster wholesale fulfilment of orders

65%

reduction in physical showroom samples

Results

We transformed retail selling for Levi Strauss & Co. from spreadsheets to a connected digital platform that delivers an amazing customer experience.

As s result of the Covid-19 pandemic, what began as a pilot for 6 of Levi Strauss & Co.'s retail clients, suddenly needed to be instantly deployed across their European account network.

The success of the remote sales experience across Europe, led to eager requests from other regions. The platform has become a major strategic initiative for Levi Strauss & Co., being expanded globally across their retail stores, as well as for over 250 wholesale clients, across multiple brands and currencies.

The new platform digitally underpins the entire wholesale stock selection process. It builds in data, flexibility, transparency, and speed, allowing more responsiveness to market trends, and has achieved impressive results:

  • 350+ wholesale partners purchasing on the platform
  • 51% increase in pre-booked clothing orders
  • 35% faster wholesale fulfilment
  • 5% reduction in physical showroom samples
  • Winner of the Koshland award 2020 and 2021 - Most impactful innovation globally at Levi Strauss & Co.
  • 250+ customers globally

Do Retail. Better.