Ghanda Clothing, known for its trendy and casual wear, has rapidly expanded its footprint in the fashion industry. With her warm smile, positive energy and passion for the brand, Zoey Glover, Retail Operations Manager, shares how IWD, an all in one visual merchandising platform, has transformed their retail operations. "IWD has pretty much changed everything for us," Zoey begins, reflecting on the transformation in operational efficiency and visual consistency across all Ghanda stores.
Q: In the past, how did you overcome the complexities of the visual merchandising process within retail operations?
Zoey Glover: Before we implemented the software, we constantly struggled with aligning our backend systems to fit the physical constraints of our retail spaces. We encountered frequent issues with over- or under-stocking, which resulted in a lot of inefficiency across our locations. Our merchandising directives were labor-intensive and time-consuming, which limited how often we could issue them. There was also a lack of consistency between stores, as our staff had to rely on their own judgment to maintain visual merchandising standards. This led to variations that weren’t always aligned with our brand image.
Q: How has implementing a visual merchandising software, i.e. planogram software, impacted you and your team?
Zoey Glover: IWD has been a game-changer for us. We've integrated our visual merchandising team with our in-store stock team to create a cohesive, store-facing support system.
One of the biggest changes is that we’ve tripled the volume of directives issued to stores. It’s allowed us to keep things more consistent and efficient across all locations. The software enables us to manage tasks remotely, which has eliminated the need for frequent travel by our stylists. This has not only saved time and resources but also allowed us to stay more responsive to our store needs.
Q: Can you share a specific success story since adopting?
Zoey Glover: One of the most significant successes has been the ability to deliver merchandising directives to our "hot stores"—those that require frequent updates—completely virtually. Previously, we had to send a stylist on a plane to handle these changes in person, sometimes traveling for up to six hours. Now, we can manage everything remotely. The feedback from stores has been overwhelmingly positive. They find the directives so much clearer and easier to complete, which has led to more consistent visual merchandising across all locations. This new approach has dramatically improved our brand image consistency as well.
Q: What do frontline workers feel about these changes?
Zoey Glover: The feedback from our staff has been fantastic. IWD has made their jobs much easier by simplifying the directives and making them easier to follow. Our old technique was outdated and often confusing, especially for new team members. Now, our staff feel more confident and less stressed when following directives, and this has led to better merchandising at all of our stores. We’ve definitely seen an improvement in how our brand is represented across the board.
Q: I heard about a Retail Network App trial, can you tell me more about it?
Zoey Glover: We’re really excited about the future, especially with the IWD app, which is currently being trialed in a few select stores. The app provides a single point of contact for all communication, helping stores avoid the problem of missing updates. Previously, some stores would receive up to 50 emails a day, and it was easy for critical directives to get lost.
With the IWD app, all updates and memos are centralized in one place, making it much easier for our stores to stay on top of their tasks. The feedback from the stores testing the app has been great, and we’re looking forward to rolling it out across the rest of our locations.
Q: Did this implementation free up store teams’ time and improve the customer experience?
Zoey Glover: It’s been transformative in so many ways. IWD has streamlined our communication and improved the consistency of our visual merchandising, which is critical in ensuring our brand standards are upheld across all locations. By making the process easier for our store teams, it allows them to focus on delivering the best experience for our customers. We’re also able to issue directives more frequently and at a larger scale without overwhelming our staff. The system has allowed us to grow without compromising on quality or efficiency.
Q: Any final thoughts on what the future of retail innovation holds for Ghanda Clothing with IWD?
Zoey Glover: We’re dreaming big with IWD, and we’re just going to keep pushing it. The possibilities are endless, and we’re looking at how we can continue to innovate and improve our retail operations. IWD has enabled us to think differently about how we manage our stores, and we’re excited to see how we can take it further. We’re already seeing a huge difference in how our brand is represented and in the efficiency of our processes. It’s made a huge impact, and we’re eager to see what’s next as we continue to grow with this tool.
Thank you, Zoey!
Click here to discover the full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv8z2ar4_EA
