Magee has been synonymous with Irish clothing since 1866. They are are 5th generation family business with a rich heritage in weaving, designing and tailoring in Ireland.
Made to Measure
As part of Magee’s continued expansion, they launched a made to measure services for both suits and blazers. As one of very few Irish brands offering made to measure, I thought I would try out the service. Magee’s flagship store is located just off Dublin’s main shopping street, Grafton Street on St. Anne’s Street. It is at a prime location and overall first impression of the store are great.
At the time of my visit, I was wearing a Canali Su Misur (Made to Measure) blazer and was in search of something similar to get a fair comparison. Upon entering the store, I was formally greeted by a sales representative who directed me to the made to measure cloth books and styles section. Disappointingly I was left to choose my own fabric without any guidance or feedback so not a great start. I, however, managed to find what I was looking for and was then measured and sized in no time.
My order was placed and processed quickly and efficiently. In addition I was set up for the Magee Loyalty Card in a seamless fashion so again all positives. Within 24 hours of making the order and it being processed, I received disappointing news stating the fabric I selected was not in stock. A refund was offered or I could arrange for a second visit to the store.
On my second visit to the store, I tried to hunt down a dark blue fabric. The order was made and processed and I left. This time around I made sure to get the fabric checked to ensure it was in stock. After a quick check, it was all good and the order was processed. After a four week wait the blazer was ready for collection. When it finally came, the colour coordination to what was presented in the book was way off which provided so yet another disappointment. Overall not a great experience for such an historic brand.
My recommendations for an improved service offering
Based on my direct experience with the service, I believe there are strategies that could be implemented to improve the overall operation of the made to measure experience. Here are my suggestions that would eliminate the chance of what happened to me to reoccur:
- Training Sales Representatives
Better training of sales representative in particular talking through the made to measure service with customers. What they are looking from the suit or blazer is key.
- Accurate stock management
Make sure what is presented in the Fabric book and catalogue is actually in stock or a process is in place to check the fabric is in stock before completing an order.
- Digital
I suggest investment in a mobile app which can provide up to date fabric information and also a sample of what the fabric looks like in a completed blazer or suit is key. By having customers details stored on the app as well as a loyalty programme linked to a mobile app, it will make it much easier for customer’s if they are happy with their first experience to then just order multiple made to measure items directly from the app without having to visit the store. Customers if their measurements are already stored on the app, could also schedule a consultation within the app via video conferencing with recommendations then pre-populated into the app for the customer to review and purchase.
My App Recommendation
- Advertising
Despite the made to measure service being available at Magee, it is still not widely known in Ireland. The company would benefit from a targeted print and digital campaign to help increase the services exposure within its target demographic.
