Menswear brand Bonobos announced the relaunch of its website on Shopify in October. The company cited numerous benefits that it will seek to realize. Examples include faster checkout and new “My Fit” profiles that sync sizing between Bonobos.com and its 48 physical stores, known as Guideshops.

Customers will see a host of new options when visiting Bonobos virtually or in physical stores. As they do, Bonobos hopes to build out its omnichannel capabilities and offerings for those shoppers.

“With Shopify, fit data now syncs across Bonobos.com and our selling systems, giving our Guides a real-time view of customers’ sizing preferences,” Ellen Pope, senior director of ecommerce at Bonobos, told Digital Commerce 360.

Why Bonobos relaunched its ecommerce site with Shopify

Bonobos broke down highlights for the new Shopify site at launch. They include:

• My Fit profiles: Guides can see a customer’s sizing preferences in real time, and the data syncs with Bonobos.com so size recommendations follow shoppers across channels.
• Fitting room follow-ups: After a fitting, Bonobos automatically follows up with the customer to keep the service going beyond the visit, which experts point to as an example of engaging the customer to better produce conversions later.
• Browse online, check out in store: Using Shopify POS, associates can build a complete look with a customer and carry it straight to the in-store register without rebuilding the cart.
• Cross-channel attribution: A check-in system logs store visits, so a purchase made within seven days, online or in person, is credited to the original store and Guide.
• One-tap checkout: Shop Pay offers a faster checkout that Shopify says is used by hundreds of millions of buyers worldwide.

Pope told Digital Commerce 360 that the goal of the Shopify work was to create a more connected shopping experience. Together, the companies tried to bring together what customers discover online with the personalized service they receive in the Guideshops. That vision extends beyond the My Fit profiles into the checkout experience and elsewhere.

“We’ve also introduced browse-on-web checkout, which allows a Guide to build a complete look with a customer and bring it directly into the in-store checkout without having to rebuild the cart,” Pope explained.

She added that together, these capabilities make it easier for customers to move between online discovery and in-person service.

Improvements to online shopping experiences

Ultimately, she wants to see the Shopify site help to remove friction and make the experience more experiential and seamless.

“We wanted to make the path from discovering a product to checking out more straightforward. The redesigned experience streamlines the customer journey from product discovery through checkout, while Shop Pay offers an accelerated, one-tap checkout option,” Pope said.

She noted that these updates are designed to make processes easier for customers. If the site works as intended, shoppers should be able to find the right styles, understand fit and complete their purchases with confidence.

The Shopify site’s omnichannel impact

Meanwhile, the My Fit profiles will continue to do work for customers in physical stores, in addition to online.

“Fit has always been central to the Bonobos experience, so we wanted to make sure customers can benefit from that personalized approach wherever they shop,” Pope stated.

She sees My Fit profiles offering Guides a real-time view of customers’ sizing preferences, with fit data syncing across selling systems and Bonobos.com.

“This allows our Guides to make more informed sizing recommendations and helps create a more consistent experience across channels, whether a customer is browsing online or visiting a Guideshop,” Pope said.

Moreover, the Shopify site plays into the company’s broader technology ambitions.

“This launch is an important step in Bonobos’ broader digital transformation, bringing together our digital storefront and the personalized, one-to-one service that has always defined our Guideshops,” Pope said.

She elaborated that by connecting fit data, in-store service and online checkout, she sees Bonobos creating a more seamless experience for customers. Meanwhile, she believes they can give team members a more flexible technology foundation.

“Shopify allows us to continue improving that experience as customer needs evolve, with a focus on making it easier to discover products, find the right fit and shop wherever it’s most convenient,” Pope said.

What the Shopify site is designed to solve for Bonobos

Shopify also weighed in on the new partnership.

“Bonobos built its reputation on getting fit right, and that only works online if the technology can keep up,” said Lauren Nemeth, VP, global enterprise at Shopify. “Our infrastructure is built for that level of product complexity, so brands like Bonobos can spend their energy on the customer experience instead of the infrastructure behind it.”

Chris Ribeiro is the founder of Starlight Analytics and a marketing professor at Rutgers Business School. He said that having a fit profile built in a Guideshop experience with a real person is a logical move. Moreover, he expects the brand will learn more about its customers.

“[Bonobos] now has really great data about its customers to deliver more meaningful and personalized experiences across both channels,” he stated.

Ribeiro said that for Bonobos, those Guideshops have always been about experience and relationship building. In his view, they do not necessarily need to be the place to convert.  The job is to create an omnichannel experience that pays off long term.

“Their job is to make the second, third, and fourth purchase happen online with confidence and to reduce the friction on the business and the customer on size/fit/return processes,” Ribeiro says. “In this space in particular, size and fit are king.”

He says omnichannel customers spend 2-3x more, and 15-35% of online orders get returned.

Potential for My Fit profiles

Meanwhile, Jessica  Murphy, co-founder and CEO of the sizing platform True Fit, assessed that My Fit profiles show promise. She believes that if fit preferences can carry from Bonobos.com into a Guideshop — and back — time to checkout could shorten.

“Fit confidence helps someone decide what to buy and feel good keeping it,” she said. “Those are two different problems, and brands often measure only the first.”

Murphy added that conversion rising while shoppers keep what they buy will be important. Potentially, it could provide stronger evidence of reduced friction than a faster transaction alone.

Still, Murphy said that there are a lot of variables even in the most seamless experiences.

“A profile only helps if it reflects what the shopper wants now and the product in front of them,” she noted. “A 32×32 in one chino is not a 32×32 in a new fabric or a slimmer cut.”

She emphasized that cut, fabric and desired ease still matter.

“So the profile should inform the recommendation, not replace product-specific guidance,” Murphy stated.

Last, Murphy anticipates there will be signs to watch beyond profile adoption or conversion alone. Those variables may include checkout completion, online and in-store conversion, repeat cross-channel purchases, keep rate, exchanges and fit-related returns.

“Conversion rising while shoppers keep what they buy is stronger evidence of reduced friction than a faster transaction alone,” Murphy said. “The concept is promising, but the setup alone is not proof of a sales lift. The impact needs to be measured.”

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