Are Reservations the Future of Retail?

Taking names and cashing in through RSVP Retail

This article was first featured in The Cream of the Shop newsletter.

Would you make an appointment just to pop into your local bike store or book shop?

What if it meant you could skip the line, have personalized attention, and ensure your exact items were in stock?

After seeing the ‘appointment only!’ sign in my own local bike shop, I’ve been reflecting on how expected norms can vary so much. We don’t bat an eye at making restaurant reservations or scheduling workout classes. So why does it still feel strange to schedule a shopping trip?

To be fair, the concept isn’t completely novel. Luxury brands have long offered private shopping. For example, the MatchesFashion Mansion here in London offers stylist appointments in gorgeous personal shopping suites. Provide 48 hour notice and staff will bring in bespoke and online-only items for you to try on while sipping champagne.

But now, brands of all stripes seem to be experimenting with the idea.

Apple has long had the Genius bar, but they recently rolled out ‘Shop with a Specialist’ appointments to ensure you have “time to comfortably browse and shop without the hassle of waiting or potentially being turned away at the door.”

Other brands include sporting company Runners Need, telecom provider O2, and Walmart affiliate Asda. In the US, Fortune reports that Williams-Sonoma, West Elm, Kate Spade, and Coach are all trialing appointments.

The growth of ‘RSVP Retail’ started with Covid-19, as a way to ensure only a safe number people were in a shop at any given time. On the surface, it seems like a stop-gap measure. Why would retailers put up more barriers to browsing and purchase?

For some though, the move might actually be savvy, long-term strategy for a few reasons:

• Reservations help retailers shape demand. Rather than trying to predict an erratic ebb and flow of shopper footfall, reservations allow shop owners to proactively shape their own hours. Employees need only be staffed during the slots when appointments are filled, rather all those dead hours when someone might just pop in.
• Appointments allow stores to stock fewer, better things. With enough notice, and an idea of who their guests are, retailers need stock only items specific to those guest’s visits — rather than trying to carry every color and size. This can be especially useful for small, digitally native brands. Simply said, less speculation leads to less waste.
• An RSVP enables the personal touch and heightens intentionality. Though fewer in number, customers that DO jump through the hoop of making an appointment tend to feel an escalation of commitment bias, which leads to higher conversion rates. Similarly, by knowing who will walk through the door when, shop owners can similarly can be much more creative in offering engaging, personalized services.

So what’s the downside? Less spontaneity and more planning. Less capacity and missed impulse buys. And clearly, no business model will work for every shop.

I’ve been impressed at the wide range of brands experimenting with RSVP Retail though, and I’d argue that a bit more planning and intentionality in shopping could be a good thing for an industry plagued by over-consumption.

In exchange for a safer, more secure and resilient high street in the short term — I’ll take it!

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, Cream of the Shop, which celebrates the most innovative and exciting retail projects happening today. If you’d like to read more or stay in touch, please sign up here.