The thinking shopper

Emily Cronin gives virtual personal shopping a whirl

I had never taken my top off on a Zoom call before I met Lisa Newell – nor could I have predicted I would do so for the first time at 10am on a Tuesday. But there I was, pulling a jumper over my head so Newell, a fit expert and assistant manager at Bravissimo’s Newcastle shop, could assess my bra fit and point me to styles that might give at least one aspect of my workfrom-home look a lift. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’ve been doing this for 13 years. I’ve seen lots of boobs and lots of bras.’ Enough, it seemed, to advise me to go down a band size and try a soft lace style – nothing I’d tried before or would have found on my own.

Lockdown has pushed shopping online. Fine for food and household essentials, but some items are trickier to purchase without context, particularly those for which we value advice and a sense of scale, like fine jewellery, children’s shoes – and yes, bras. So retailers have devised ways to translate staff ’s expertise to the online realm, via virtual styling sessions.

‘If you don’t already know the brand or what you’re looking for, it can be overwhelming,’ says Becca Naisby, Sweaty Betty’s virtual personal shopping manager, who now helps timepoor shoppers find the right leggings on Zoom, narrowing a dizzying array of options down to the specific pair that suit your activity needs. ‘People are craving that extra bit of support.’

Virtual styling sessions started in the upper echelons of designer fashion. Sales consultants at luxury boutiques have spent the past months in (well-stocked) empty shops holding up ipads, sharing new collections with clients via video call. At Browns, retail ambassadors based in the new, as-yet-unopened London flagship check in with clients over all manner of digital platforms. As a result, ‘Customer engagement has spiked and conversations and relationships developed further,’ says Lee Whittle, the retailer’s customer experience director.

Almost everyone’s at it – from ‘Zoe Zipper on Zoom’ sessions in which Me+em’s in-house head stylist recommends new pieces that can slot into your wardrobe, to jewellery advice from Mejuri and virtual styling from John Lewis. Most of them plan to carry the free service forward into the post-lockdown age.

I can see the appeal. Over the course of my Sweaty Betty call, Naisby asked about my go-to workouts (yoga, indoor cycling), height (short enough that she recommended a ⅞ length), style preferences (neutral, subtle; no fluoro here) and what kind of feel I look for (soft), before directing me to a pair of navy leopard-print jacquard leggings – a definite upgrade from the pair I wore during our call. The whole experience felt almost as good as a leisurely browse around the shops. ‘That’s the idea,’ she said. ‘We’re happy to be here to give people a little boost.’

Celina ditsy-print dress, £325, Wyse London (wyselondon.co.uk)