Online shopping has become the preferred method of purchasing fashion items for much of America, so it pays for a brand to have an edge outside of its brick-and-mortar stores. Thankfully, J. Crew has its strategy down pat.
The retailer is being lauded this month as the top e-commerce site out there, according to StellaService's Monthly Benchmarks for July. J. Crew's customer service efforts, including its ability to deliver packages a full two days quicker than the previous month, put the brand above competitors like Net-A-Porter and Nordstrom.
The area in which J. Crew excelled the most? Phone support. This should come as no surprise, since CEO Mickey Drexler himself phoned a customer to resolve an issue just last month. Drexler even apologized to the complainant for how the recent designs have "strayed too far from the classics." How's that for VIP customer service?
J. Crew is certainly in no need of good press -- First Lady Michelle Obama regularly wears the brand's clothes (along with Sasha and Malia), and Creative Director Jenna Lyons has become a celebrity in her own right, making Time's 100 list and sparking an army of style imitators.
But the retailer will certainly have to watch its back, as L.L. Bean landed top e-commerce rankings for July, too. So do we foresee an epic preppy online face-off in the near future? No, but our money would be on J. Crew if we did.
J.Crew's creative director has amazing style: