Suitsupply is a fast-growing Dutch clothing brand that was founded by the current CEO Fokke de Jong in 1999. While the main focus is on formal menswear such as tailor-made suits and shirts, the company recently also introduced a womenswear line. The company operates across the entire value chain, spanning the spectrum from design, sourcing and production through to sales to consumers. A unique aspect of the Suitsupply concept is the strong integration of physical stores at A locations and the ‘smart’ online webshop.
Fokke de Jong, Founder & CEO Suitsupply, on innovations that have the greatest impact on the business of Suitsupply:
1. RFID chip
“Suitsupply was a pioneer in combining online and offline stores. These two worlds will increasingly converge in the future, with technology being the key driver behind this development. Our products already contain an RFID chip so we can see which inventory is in which store and/or whether an item that a customer has ordered is actually available in stock. This technology, however, offers a world of possibilities beyond only optimising internal logistics.”
2. Far-reaching customer journeys
“We are, for example, currently experimenting with new customer journeys. One way is by offering a customer-unique online ‘fitting room’ alongside the familiar options such as the shopping cart and the wishlist. The fitting room enables you as a customer to have certain items ‘waiting for you in the fitting room’ and to select the salesperson with whom you have a personal connection. We then ensure that these items are waiting for you to try on and that your favourite salesperson is available when you visit the store.”
3. Blockchain
“I also expect great things from technologies resembling blockchain that will make managing the total supply chain even more efficient and accurate based on data and products that ‘make themselves known’ in that chain. Customers will in the future be able to fully track each item and gain reliable and accurate information on the CSR footprint. This is important because one of the pillars on which we are building Suitsupply is: Sustainable craftsmanship or, in other words, made in a way we’re proud of.”
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