The fitting room is a basic kind of infrastructure of commercial center nowadays and it has a vital influence on the customers’ shopping experience. Given the complexity and diversity of the clothing stores, it is easier to understand the fitting rooms by classifying them into different categories.
For instance, the fast-fashion brands, such as H&M and UNIQLO, has a fast faced shopping pattern which is decided by its low price and basic design. In fast-fashion store, the low price encourages people to make quick decision and also to purchase more which requires efficiency of fitting rooms to address the problem with more customers.
For traditional clothing stores with moderate price and smaller scale on the store, it will have to deal with less customers which means the fitting rooms can be designed with more aesthetics concerns. Customers are able and willing to spend more time here, and more interactions with clerks are more likely to take place.
When it comes to luxury brands, things change completely. Fitting rooms take a predominant place in the store because the experience of customers matters most there. The fitting rooms are decorated with wood, leather and other luxury materials and served with snacks and coffee. The fitting rooms look more like home or hotel room rather than a simple fitting room. Also more clerks will be assigned to serve one client.
Different consumption level lead customers to different kinds of fitting rooms which they will also use differently.
In the fast-fashion store, the selling pattern is similar with the supermarket, this self-service shopping makes store only has to supervise and manage its own operation. Clerks are needed in cashier and also fitting room to collect the unwanted clothes from customers. Here the use of the fitting room is highly self-serviced.
However, stores in smaller scale are more like boutiques. Once customers enter the store, they will be accompanied by clerks who offer suggestions and recommendations about outfits. Clerks are normally responsible to wait outside the fitting room to figure out whether the size and style are appropriate. Use of the fitting room is usually comes with service from clerks.
The experience of users are determined by the different grades of fitting rooms. Most infrastructures provide same experience for users, however during the commercialization, they are intended to be influenced by the business value behind them. For instance, first class ticket holders have priority in the airport and are able to get access to more convenient and comfortable infrastructure like waiting room and shuttle bus. This is surely a trend of infrastructure being more selective to users and customers, but it is also an aspect showing the vulnerability of the infrastructure because it can be influenced by various social factors.
Jin Gu – task 2
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