In its latest move to give online customers as much service as in-store customers get, Macy’s (M) said on Monday it is piloting an in-home tailoring service for clothes that shoppers buy on its web sites.
Macy’s and its upscale sister chain, Bloomingdale’s, have signed on to be the exclusive department store partners for zTailors, the newly launched on-demand tailoring service run by Men’s Wearhouse (MW) founder George Zimmer that some have called the Uber of tailoring.
The retailer is starting out the service for macys.com and bloomingdales.com customers in Los Angeles, and will start testing it out in the New York, San Diego and San Francisco areas later this month. The service will be available nationwide by early fall 2015 at a cost similar to what customers are charged in stores.
“With zTailors, our online customers can receive the same professional and personalized service they have come to expect from our stores,” said R.B. Harrison, the executive who oversees the integration of Macy’s Inc stores and e-commerce.
That is crucial as Macy’s, like other brick-and-mortar retailers, is constantly looking for new ways to adapt to challenging store traffic trends as more shopping shifts on line. In its first fiscal quarter, Macy’s last month reported disappointing results as fewer shoppers came into its stores.
In recent years, Macy’s has pumped billions into strengthening its e-commerce firepower and seamlessly integrating it with its 800-plus stores, with initiatives ranging from same-day delivery to in-store pickup of online orders to the installation of beacons in stores that allows it to zap personalized orders to customers.
The zTailors service works as follows: Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s customers book a screened, certified tailor when purchasing a piece of clothing that may need some alterations. After the item is delivered, the tailor goes to a customer’s home or office for a fitting, makes the alteration, and returns the garment in less than a week. Any re-dos are free of charge.
The startup, which has 600 tailors signed up, plans to operate across the nation by the end of the year. ZTailor’s service independently of Macy’s is available in a few cities for now, with alteration prices like $20 to taper the sides of a dress shirt and $30 to shorten the sleeves on an overcoat.