Ted Baker launches virtual shopping experience

Fashion and lifestyle brand Ted Baker is partnering with virtual shopping messaging app, Hero to bring their unique in-store experience directly to their customers online.

Through virtual shopping technology, ‘Ask Ted Baker’ will allow customers to instantly connect with an in-store expert at their nearest participating store, via a chat service on tedbaker.com.

Through chat, text and video calls, the Ted Baker team will be able to provide “expert guidance, recommendations, product imagery and styling advice remotely,” explained the brand, while also “strengthening customer relationships”.

The Hero functionality will initially launch with eight participating stores across the UK and is already live in North America.

Jennifer Roebuck, chief customer officer at Ted Baker, said in a statement: “As our e-commerce channel continues to grow during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, elevating our online customer experience is a key business priority.

“By partnering with Hero, we’re enabling critical tools to stay connected with our customers and bring the physical shopping experience to them at home.”

Hero founder Adam Levene, added: “Consumers have wholeheartedly embraced virtual shopping this year as a way to get the same personalisation and service they expect in a physical store from the comfort of their own homes. We’re thrilled to be able to bring the unique and colourful experience of shopping in a Ted Baker store to a whole new audience of online shoppers, just in time for the holiday season.”

The partnership with Hero is the latest in a series of initiatives launched to enhance its overall customer experience. Ted Baker has also expanded its payment methods to include Klarna and Apple Pay, introduced an in-store styling service and a ship-from-store functionality in the UK that enables greater product availability.

Image: courtesy of Ted Baker