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Translating an iconic US-born retail giant for the European woman

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The challenge

Despite their longstanding success in the US, a leader in the intimates space struggled to gain traction in France and Italy. Given their global name recognition, the brand had launched internationally without much foundational qualitative research into the local consumer. To capture and retain market share, they needed to move beyond their US-based strategy and understand the distinct cultural drivers of the European woman.
We knew that virtual interviews couldn’t capture the nuanced, unstated cultural norms of these markets, particularly given the delicate subject of lingerie. We needed a boots-on-the-ground approach to see where the brand’s US identity was falling short of local expectations.

 

The method

We conducted immersive, in-store research in France and Italy to observe the local retail experience through the eyes of the consumer:
  • Brand agnostic background: Prior to exposing her to the brand or subject of the research, we met pre-recruited shoppers in a neutral setting.
    • This helped us gain an understanding of who she is as a person – her lifestyle, her values, and her relationship with femininity – outside the context of the brand.
  • In-store shopalong: We then leveraged a native moderator and simultaneous translator to conduct shop-alongs with her in the brand’s store.
    • We were able to observe and analyze her thought process live, understanding points of confusion, how she interacted with sales associates, what got her attention, and what she missed as she shopped.
  • Competitive assessment: Following the brand shop-along, we then observed the same women shopping at competitive stores that were native to each market.
    • This illuminated key strengths and areas of opportunity for our client’s brand, as it provided a direct point of comparison to the “gold standard” in each market.

The impact

Our findings triggered a shift from a “one-size-fits-all” global strategy to a localized approach, sparking immediate optimizations across marketing, merchandising, and store layout. These optimizations helped transform a US-based brand into a global force, helping European women feel connected and seen by the brand’s offering.

“Your team did such a fantastic job of understanding the brand, the material, everything — so much so that it felt like you were just part of our team. I think that is highest compliment I can give when working with a partner!  I am excited to see what impact we can make in these markets and how we can use the information to share with other partners to drive their customer experience.”

Director of International Operations, Global Leader in Intimates & Apparel

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