How Saks Streamlines Image Production with Looklet
Offering curated fashion and personalized service for nearly a century, Saks Fifth Avenue is a leading presence in luxury shopping. In 2016, Saks Fifth Avenue partnered with fashion tech company Looklet to more efficiently and cost effectively produce high-quality imagery for its ecommerce experience.
“Our company has a strong support system for Looklet, particularly from our Operations leadership team. They recognize the benefits and role that Looklet plays in our overall operations.”
- Ali McLeod, VP of Photo Studios & Digital Operations, Saks
Results & value at a glance
Key stats of improvement since using the Looklet solution
Speed
- High productivity of image capturing per man-hour and the ability to quickly assemble complete looks with a few clicks*
* With Looklet you can achieve accelerated time to market from capture to completed looks published within 6-24 hours.
Streamlined workflow
- Only 1 staff member is required per studio vs. up to 8 talents needed for traditional on-figure shoots incl. the flexibility to produce items on-demand (no bookings required), driving efficiency by freeing up staff members to work on other projects simultaneously.
Merchandising control and flexibility
- Seamless accessory styling with an inclusive model selection aligned with brand standards.
We interviewed Saks’ VP of Photo Studios & Digital Operations, Ali McLeod, and Director of Photo Studios, Don Reed, to explore challenges in the industry, Looklet's role in their experience and insights on implementing and benefiting from the partnership.
“Our partnership with Looklet has been quite impressive. One standout aspect is their readiness to engage in discussions about evolving needs and ideas. The collaborative nature of the relationship aligns well with the shifts in our business needs and strategies. Looklet stands out as a solution that consistently seeks improvement, actively incorporating feedback and client ideas into their roadmap.”
- Ali, Saks
PART 1: CHALLENGES & KEY RESULTS
AUTOMATED IMAGERY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL ON-MODEL
Saks and the Evolving Retail Industry
Saks is a premier luxury ecommerce platform, offering seamless luxury shopping experiences to customers through its partnership with the Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Currently, Saks has 4 Looklet Studios in Pennsylvania and 1 in NYC.
The retail apparel industry, pushed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, is rapidly evolving. To keep up with consumer expectations, retailers are recognizing the pivotal role of high-quality imagery in driving sales and ensuring positive customer experiences. Consequently, retailers are increasingly leveraging automated image production solutions, utilizing AI and other cutting-edge technologies, to deliver quality images while optimizing production workflows.
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Why Looklet?
Looklet, a pioneer in automated ecommerce image production, has been serving retailers and brands for over a decade. Looklet offers high-volume retailers and brands a solution to increase production speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
Let’s walk through the conditions and causes surrounding their choice to go with Looklet, the advantages of using Looklet, and finally, how Saks views the end-to-end experience and success drivers of the partnership with Looklet.
The Challenges & How Looklet Helps
Designing and launching a successful ecommerce apparel strategy is important to today’s apparel brands and luxury retailers. However, as with many parts of the value chain, there are varying and sometimes competing priorities to account for when making decisions intended to improve workflows.
Through pre-sales and sales discussions between Looklet and Saks, the two teams worked to identify Saks’ top priorities and determine if Looklet could fit their needs.
“When it comes to image production, a big challenge is juggling speed, cost and quality – trying to strike that perfect balance can be a bit tricky. Looklet definitely aims to aid in solving that constant battle.“
- Ali, Saks
“Looklet demonstrates an impressive turnaround speed compared to traditional on-figure photography.“
“The Looklet system is instrumental in swiftly turning around inventory in production, maximizing selling time. For many retailers, having studios in distribution centers reduces time spent on item delivery.”
- Ali, Saks
Challenge 1: Time To Market
Looklet Studios can be operated by one person, allowing teams to shoot whenever convenient, which makes finding the time and staff to shoot items easier and quicker, allowing Saks to flex their production as needed.
Challenge 2: Operational Efficiency
We asked Saks to compare the speed of Looklet from shoot to publication-ready vs. traditional on-figure speed. They shared that the speed of production produces positive externalities in terms of operational efficiency.
“Looklet's efficiency with a minimal staffing model minimizes the time spent sourcing talent and contributors. Our teams who source and schedule talent are much more productive due to the more efficient staffing model.”
- Ali, Saks
Challenge 3: Consistent High-Quality Images
The Looklet platform also offers greater control over styling and workflow, empowering Saks to maintain consistency in their imagery while achieving their brand goals and meeting creative expectations. Additionally, Looklet's ease of customization and extensive model selection ensures that Saks can represent its diverse customer base in its imagery and meet their needs.
Challenge 4: Comparable with Traditional On-Model
The flexibility of styling is an important factor in image production and branding for many retailers such as Saks. Through using our advanced styling software, Look Creator, Saks benefits from customization and the flexibility to style in a variety of ways, meeting brand standards on par with traditional on-model. Looklet and Saks discussed a few specifics on how Looklet compares to traditional on-figure photography.
Looklet: Do you find that you have greater or lesser control over your styling and workflow using Looklet compared to your other solution(s)?
Saks: Looklet stood out right from the start as they provide an experience that closely mirrors our traditional on-model photography. It excels in head-to-toe styling, addressing our crucial shoe requirements seamlessly.
"One of Looklet's strengths is its ease of customization, allowing us to meet brand standards and creative expectations effortlessly. Whether it's styling comprehensively, incorporating accessories both on the mannequin and in post-production, or executing nuanced details like tucks and sleeve adjustments, Looklet excels. The extensive and inclusive model selection offered by Looklet aligns with the standards we uphold at Saks."
- Ali, Saks
“As a leader in studio production, I consistently explore new products and market solutions to enhance operations and scalability. One crucial aspect for us is the ability to style head to toe. Looklet stands out as it allows us the freedom to shoot and style with shoes and accessories seamlessly.”
- Ali, Saks
PART 2: HOW IT WORKS
ONBOARDING, LAUNCH & DAY-TO-DAY OF OWNING LOOKLET
To implement Looklet into their image production workflow, Saks and Looklet worked together to coordinate the onboarding and ramp-up tasks required for their first official day of production with Looklet. In this section, we'll dive deeper into the nuts and bolts of onboarding, maintenance and support, giving you a closer look at how Saks got started with Looklet. Through this lens, we'll uncover more about the value of Looklet and what keeps our partnership with Saks going strong.
Saks Onboarding Experience: Ease of implementation
For reference, Looklet “Onboarding” includes 4 simple parts:
1. Network + Product Back-end Setup
2. Site/Space Review
3. Shipping & Delivery
4. Training
Looklet provides a dedicated Onboarding Manager to all clients. The Onboarding Manager ensures project dates, deliverables and tasks are managed smoothly.
In their own words, Saks describes their onboarding experience and day-to-day use of the studio
Looklet: Did/Does Saks have a dedicated team and/or project manager to manage setup, delivery and/or move of Looklet?
Ali, Saks: Our team comprised a core group of subject matter experts (SMEs), alongside executive sponsorship, making up the key stakeholders responsible for executing and optimizing the rollout. To facilitate the coordination and communication between the Studio and Tech teams, we enlisted the support of an internal Product Manager. This role was responsible for maintaining a smooth cadence throughout the process…
Looklet: Would you consider the pre-onboarding, implementation, delivery, training, customer support, image quality and account management experiences positive?
Ali, Saks: Looklet’s customer service has been great to work with, as their team always provides support promptly and is clear and collaborative. Off and on-site support and customer success is awesome.
"The support during onboarding and implementation was exceptional. Looklet acted as true partners, going above and beyond with clear communication and support, and exceeding our expectations."
- Ali, Saks
Account Management, Maintenance + Support
Looklet strives to ask questions, stay curious and flexible to understand Saks' shifting business environment and needs. Looklet is also dedicated to improving and advancing product features and capabilities. We asked Saks about their experience with this aspect over the years of our collaboration.
Looklet: Do you feel that your Looklet customer support and account management team understands your business workflow and respects your requests, time and needs?
Ali, Saks: Throughout our relationship with Looklet, their customer support and account management teams have consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of our business workflow. They have invested time to comprehend our processes, needs and quality expectations. This attentive approach has fostered a high level of trust, indicating that Looklet genuinely respects our requests, time and specific requirements.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Looklet: Who specifically would find value in using Looklet, and would you advocate for our solution to other retailers?
Ali, Saks: Absolutely, Looklet is a premium product that could be an excellent fit for many retailers. Retailers implementing live merchandise strategies and closely connected to distribution facilities and data streams would also find great value in Looklet. Looklet has played an important role in our business continuity strategy.
“Looklet maintains a commitment to pushing the boundaries of quality without relying on buzzwords and industry hype. Their product consistently delivers high-quality assets that matter both to us and our customers. This steadfast dedication to quality, coupled with their genuine commitment to innovation, positions Looklet as the right choice for us, offering more value in terms of reliability, quality and overall performance.”
- Don Reed, Director of Photo Studios, Saks
As we wrap up our deep dive into Saks’ journey, it's clear that our collaboration has been vital in overcoming industry challenges and achieving positive results. Looklet remains committed to empowering retailers like Saks with advanced ecommerce image production solutions. With our shared dedication to excellence and ongoing improvement, we look forward to shaping the future of luxury retail together. For more information on partnering with Looklet, email business@looklet.com.
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