Nestore's blog

Sézane Self Service

It is at 63 boulevard des Batignolles, in the 17th century, that the high-end women's ready-to-wear brand has set up its new concept store : Le Libre Service Sézane.

As a reminder, the brand has two stores in London, one in New York and one in Aix-en-Provence. In Paris, it is present at Bon Marché Rive Gauche and has a boutique in the 2nd “L'Appartement Paris”.

This time, Sézane is opening its Self Service, a completely different concept from the Apartment. Less intimate , reminiscent of Parisian bazaars and the vintage origins of the brand, it helps attract a less formal clientele, sometimes too intimidated to enter the store considered too showroom-like.
The curious, like Nestore, can strut for several hours in the more than pleasant 400m2 store. During our wandering around the store, we had our eyes everywhere, the products are always so pleasant to see and touch and the staff are very smiling. What did we prefer? Freedom, we don't ask to try, we are actors in our shopping, we can take, rest, take and enjoy, and that feels good.

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There you can find the basics, more accessible products, and some leather goods. The only downside (because there needs to be one) in all this staging is the omnipresence of trinkets (books, stationery, beauty products) in the merchandising which distract attention and distort the image. branding and highlighting flagship products. The homage to the Parisian bazaar could have been more subtle. On the other hand, we validate the upcycling sale of second-hand scarves and jewelry brought back to Sézane taste which supports their responsible fashion positioning and their vintage side.

Self-Service does not mean less service, you can count on a dynamic young team ready to advise you and inform you about the store and its products. A “mesh” bar as well as a jewelry counter are supervised by Sézane salespeople to help you in your choices.

The brand plays the vintage card to the end thanks to its Concierge where you can collect your package, return it, request alterations; a great way for digital natives to attract their customers to the store, and to support their customers until they receive their product. It is also possible to send your mail and recharge your phone... a Concierge 2.0.

DNVB and physical stores

Sézane is the first French fashion brand born online. Certainly one of the most successful DNVBs (“Digital Native Vertical Brands”). The absence of intermediaries allowed it to really know its customers and therefore to create a real identity as well as a strategic positioning consistent with the image reflected. Although its turnover is almost entirely generated online, this does not prevent it from creating new concept stores.

We are a long way from the articles from the early 2010s which announced the end of physical stores. Brands, DNVB or not, are surpassing themselves in order to push the customer experience ever further, and this requires in-store retail innovation.
Ultimately, stores become an added value to e-shops. This allows brands to add complementary services to their products. Today we are on a Web to Store strategy, notably thanks to “Clic&Collect”. As Sézane does very well with its Conciergerie, a very good additional sales strategy: why not take a look around the store once the package has been collected?

Beyond the permanent store, the pop-up store is also an option that DNVBs choose to increase their notoriety and meet their customers. Moreover, you can currently find at the Carrousel du Louvre, until the end of the year, a concept store by Pyramid created by Label Expérience, with only digital natives made in France. A marketing operation so that French brands and creators gain visibility. And as is often the case, the pop-up store is a way for young people to test their brand over a short period of time, to then launch into a physical store on their own and permanently.
Sézane is also a fan of the concept and opened a pop up store in Lyon on October 24, open until January 4, 2020.

Pop-up stores are Nestore's core business; it regularly supports and collaborates with pure player creators in the realization of their ephemeral concept. For example, we previously collaborated with Soi Paris to create a pop up store which ultimately opened its permanent boutique on rue Vieille du Temple.