Levi Strauss & Co.
6 min
What our client needed
Levi's is a name known all around the world. Founded in 1853, Levi Strauss opened a wholesale dry goods business in San Francisco that became known as Levi Strauss & Co. Seeing a need for work pants that could hold up under rougher conditions, he and Jacob Davis, a tailor, created the first jean. The first product line designated by the lot number "501" was created in 1890.
Today, Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. They design and market jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men, women and children under the Levi's®, Dockers®, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™ and Denizen® brands.
Our client wanted to drastically transform their sales process for retail and wholesale buyers. They also wanted to radically improve the customer experience and reduce the number of samples they sent out.
What we gave them
Working with account managers, merchandisers, designers, and executives from Levi Strauss & Co, the DCX team spent six weeks learning and prototyping.
What we discovered was that, no matter how 'digital' you make the selling session, if customers haven't engaged with the brands and products beforehand, the sessions would be drawn-out and tedious.
Our solution was a chance to extend the selling session process, taking much of the focus and intensity away from the days in the showroom.
We needed to create more time for the buyer to familiarise themselves with their product assortment.
Here's what we did.
1. Design with the actual users
We didn’t just test the new solution with our users, we designed it with them. Co-creation became a vital cog in the successful 'YourX' product engine. We ran weekly co-design sessions to explore all sorts of opportunities; involving diverse participants meant all the ideas we received were innovative and new.
2. Measured and observed
We saw first-hand how users and customers engaged with the platform, sitting in selling sessions and engaging with users and customers for feedback. This allowed us to...
3. Prototype, test, and learn
We never stopped prototyping, from crafting sketches based on co-creation sessions to delivering clickable prototypes and custom-built interactive models. All of this prototyping and iteration saved a lot of time in quickly removing worthless features from the final product.
4. Cross-functional teamwork
DCX and the Levi Strauss & Co. team came together to ensure the right cross-product team was in place, with experts in the world of fashion, design, product, and technology.
The team was involved in all aspects of creating the new solution, from research and ideation to testing.
What was the impact
We transformed retail selling for Levi Strauss & Co., taking them from spreadsheets to a connected digital platform that delivers an amazing customer experience.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, what began as a pilot for six of Levi Strauss & Co.'s retail clients needed to be instantly deployed across their European account network.
The success of the remote sales experience across Europe led to eager requests from other regions. The platform has become a major strategic initiative for Levi Strauss & Co. It has been expanded globally into their retail stores, as well as for over 250 wholesale clients, across multiple brands and currencies.
The new platform digitally underpins the entire wholesale stock selection process. It builds in data, flexibility, transparency and speed, allowing more responsiveness to market trends achieving impressive results:
- 350+ wholesale partners purchasing on the platform
- 51% increase in pre-booked clothing orders
- 35% faster wholesale fulfilment
- 5% reduction in physical showroom samples
- Winner of the Koshland award 2020 and 2021 - Most impactful innovation globally at Levi Strauss & Co.
- 250+ customers globally