Luke McGowan takes on Customer & Data Insights Director role at British brand White Stuff

Luke McGowan is starting a new position as Customer & Data Insights Director at British lifestyle and clothing retailer White Stuff.

He has been with the company for almost six years, and previously served as Head of Insight & CRM.

Prior to that, he worked at The Dune Group, holding the position of Head of Data and Insight. His CV also includes stints at The White Company, Marks and Spencer, and Next.

Endless Aisle Live

Speaking at Endless Aisle Live in London earlier this year, White Stuff shared how it has transformed its business since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Like a lot of brands, we faced an existential threat coming out of the pandemic,” said Steve Borg, Technology and Transformation Director at White Stuff. “Customer were in a different place and it wasn’t good enough just to create great products any more.”

Treating the situation as a real threat, White Stuff quickly got to work, moving its stores from legacy systems using spreadsheets and working with product information management and product data intelligence software provider Akeneo and e-commerce platform BigCommerce. “We knew we had to change - we need a culture that could move away from legacy,” Borg added.

White Stuff focused on areas where it would have the most immediate impact. “It was very much a focus on changing customer touch points,” James Bracelet, Enterprise Architect at White Stuff, explained. “That gained pace very quickly.”

The retailer equipped its in store teams with mobile devices, powered by the NewStore platform, able to take payments and place orders for in-store deliveries. At first these were used alongside the traditional tills in-store but they have now replaced them. 

Borg said some team members had been sceptical of the change, due to the average demographic of its customers, but after making the switch they found most customers reported that mobile payments were easier. He also noted the switch has come with the added benefit of making it easier for customers to identify its staff on the shop floor, thanks to their mobile devices carried visibly on lanyards. 

Brazeley said the transformation has said the new approach has changed the way many team members view White Stuff. “There’s a change of narrative once you’ve been through a transformation,” he explained, adding that more store staff members were looking for ways they could change systems to improve the experience for customers. 

He also noted that the link between White Stuff’s physical stores and its online business was also clear to teams. “Ultimately, they aren’t two channels competing between each other - they support the same customers.”

Looking ahead, Borg said White Stuff is “doubling down” on its transformation, looking next toward the launch of a new loyalty scheme. “Loyalty is really tough in fashion,” he explained. “But it will be transformational to be able to look up each customer.” He explained the new system will support returns and purchases, but also aims to “surprise and delight” its loyal customers with rewards.

Another issue the retailer will be focusing on is returns. While fashion retailers often struggle with a high return rate, White Stuff currently reports an average of just 25% returns for its online sales, but Borg says this is still something it wants to improve. He added that its physical stores will be at the heart of its returns strategy going forward.