Style and convenience mark new clothing model

JACKTHREADS REDEFINES ONLINE SHOPPING

Who has time to shop anymore? In the midst of a busy semester, finding quality time to spend at the mall is often squished by work, homework, and other life responsibilities. As an alternative, new online platforms seek to unravel this very dilemma.

One of the most notable additions to this style-infused terrain is JackThreads (JT). Starting in 2008, JackThreads was based off a flash sale model—an explosive, and adrenaline-fueled e-commerce trend. The basic concept is the major clothing lines that don’t sell are bought by a secondary company at dirt-cheap prices. The secondary company resells the inventory to the customer at a reduced price. The resulting price drop could mean $700 leather jackets plummeting at rates of 65 percent to $245.

The model does have its drawbacks. The nature of flash inventories is the limited numbers of sizes, styles, and temporary supply. During the company’s initial launch, customers would be bombarded almost daily with emails debuting new sales and inventory. While the adrenaline-heightened sales create product excitement, repetition eventually burnt out their customer-base.

In 2015, JT launched TryOuts, a program that drastically changed the game of online shopping. “Customers who go to JackThreads won’t be able to buy anything right there on the site,” JackThreads CEO Mark Walker said. “Instead, they’ll hit a button to try out whatever clothes they want for a week.” If the customer falls in love with the clothes, they are welcome to keep the clothing, and if there are items that don’t quite work out? JT allows customers to send them back, no strings attached.

Similar to the Warby Parker try out model for eyeglasses, JT gives customers an opportunity to evaluate their clothes in the intimacy of their own home. This opportunity also allows customers to try out clothes with various other items in their wardrobe. Compared to traditional online stores where the purchase often includes terminal possession, JT feels their model is rebellious. “I think what we are doing is a little bit of a middle finger to the rest of the establishment,” Walker said in an interview with Forbes. “There’s a pride in our company.” Finally, the pressing dressing room-anxiety of whether this graphic-tee is gonna work with those dope-AF Chinos can be put to rest.

The customer experience feels like a top priority for JackThreads. In addition to their launch of TryOuts in 2015, the company took a critical look at their customer experience. “The pressure for JackThreads to keep hitting its metrics and revenue targets was taking a toll on the morale of its employees, its customers and its product quality,” Forbes reported. The resulting change brought more attention to the quality of the customer. Styles vary between clean, washed, sexy, and bold. The additional consideration of consumer-usage analytics allots each JT customer “one super-concentrated, best-in-class, great-value-offer of JackThreads assortments,” Walker said.

JackThreads attempts to be on the forefront of style, and with a beast of a consumer-centered model, the company shows promise for continuing to expand its customer base. As for now, a package at the door means much more than a brand new pair of Vans, and graphic-tee of a fish smoking a cigarette. It marks of the future of comfort, class, and convenience in the style industry.