Lands End
Communications of the Association for Information Systems (Volume 11, 2003)79-93
79
CUSTOM MADE APPAREL AND INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE AT LANDS’ END
Blake Ives Information Systems Research Center University of Houston blake.ives@uh.edu Gabriele Piccoli Cornell University ABSTRACT The case describes a hugely successful example of IT-driven strategy, the Lands’ End custom tailored apparel initiative. In less than a year, 40% of Lands’ End customers buying chinos and jeans from the firm’s web site were buying tailored products. Over 20% of these customers never made a purchase over the web before. The case explores mass customization and web-based customer service initiatives while providing a rich opportunity to discuss the sustainability of competitive advantage derived from IT-driven strategic initiatives. The case also describes the cross-organizational and cross-border supply chain that Lands’ End and its business partner, Archetype Solutions, Inc constructed as well as Archetype’s extension of that chain to other retailers. Keywords: apparel, jeans, online shopping Editor’s Note: A teaching note is available from the first author to faculty so requiring it who are listed in the MISRC-ISWorld Faculty Directory. I. INTRODUCTION A tall man, Larry Cantera1 always found buying clothes a frustrating proposition. Only the largest US cities had high quality big and tall men’s apparel stores; the selection was usually small and the prices high. Cantera was intrigued when Lands’ End’s custom tailored chinos program was announced in late October of 2001. Using the web-based service, customers could custom tailor trousers based on length, waist size, and a number of other fit variables. Customers could also select among a variety of color and style options (e.g., cuffs, pleats). Only men’s and women’s chinos were included in the initial
1
A fictional name for a real Lands’ End customer.
Custom Made Apparel and Individualized Service at Lands’ End by B. Ives and
79
CUSTOM MADE APPAREL AND INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE AT LANDS’ END
Blake Ives Information Systems Research Center University of Houston blake.ives@uh.edu Gabriele Piccoli Cornell University ABSTRACT The case describes a hugely successful example of IT-driven strategy, the Lands’ End custom tailored apparel initiative. In less than a year, 40% of Lands’ End customers buying chinos and jeans from the firm’s web site were buying tailored products. Over 20% of these customers never made a purchase over the web before. The case explores mass customization and web-based customer service initiatives while providing a rich opportunity to discuss the sustainability of competitive advantage derived from IT-driven strategic initiatives. The case also describes the cross-organizational and cross-border supply chain that Lands’ End and its business partner, Archetype Solutions, Inc constructed as well as Archetype’s extension of that chain to other retailers. Keywords: apparel, jeans, online shopping Editor’s Note: A teaching note is available from the first author to faculty so requiring it who are listed in the MISRC-ISWorld Faculty Directory. I. INTRODUCTION A tall man, Larry Cantera1 always found buying clothes a frustrating proposition. Only the largest US cities had high quality big and tall men’s apparel stores; the selection was usually small and the prices high. Cantera was intrigued when Lands’ End’s custom tailored chinos program was announced in late October of 2001. Using the web-based service, customers could custom tailor trousers based on length, waist size, and a number of other fit variables. Customers could also select among a variety of color and style options (e.g., cuffs, pleats). Only men’s and women’s chinos were included in the initial
1
A fictional name for a real Lands’ End customer.
Custom Made Apparel and Individualized Service at Lands’ End by B. Ives and