Check it Out: Dressing for Retail/E-commcerce Integrated Success

I'm not a man. But I am a wife, so I know the fear, expense, time commitment and general anxiety of buying a tailored men's suit. That's why my ears pricked up when I heard about My.Suit from a friend (thanks, Chet!). When I learned of its sales model, and how it truly integrates online and traditional retail, as a marketing journalist I got even more excited.

Simply put, My.Suit's integrated website and retail stores make it easy for men in the New York tristate area to order and purchase made-to-fit, made-to-order suits delivered in two weeks with a starting price of $495 — the cost of many off-the-rack suits men already have in their closets!

Here's how it's done:

1) Go to www.mysuitny.com and make an appointment to be measured at one of three greater New York My.Suit retail locations. You'll receive a confirmation/reminder via email.

2) At the appointment, a fitter and style consultant size you up in about 15 minutes to 20 minutes, entering up to 30 measurements into the store's database.

3) With the help of your in-store consultant, an in-store kiosk or MySuitNY.com's "Suit Builder" function, select the style for your suit. Options include the jacket or pant style, pockets, liner, button schemes … you get the idea.

4) Choose fabrics. In-store customers can see and touch model suits and a fabric bar. Online, you can view photos of textile swatches created with high-resolution photography and information about fabric weight and seasonality.

5) After your selections are in the system, a confirmation page asks you to verify the choices and calculates a price — from $495 to $995, based on style and fabrics chosen. Also, you can choose where the suit should be delivered once it's completed: either to a My.Suit retail location or another address.

6) Once payment is rendered, the order is sent electronically to the My.Suit factory in Puebla, Mexico, where it's made. The suit's then inspected and packaged in a secure garment bag with hanger and shipped.

7) In 14 days, the suit is delivered to a My.Suit store for pickup or shipped to your specified delivery point via courier service (usually within 72 hours).

What Makes My.Suit Great
My.Suit says it can keep the prices for its made-to-order suits low in part because of on-demand production, which eliminates the costs of maintaining large inventories. There are more efficient electronic and shipping infrastructures today, My.Suit says, which contribute to the reality of on-demand production.

Its model is working: More than 50 percent of My.Suit's total business in 2009 was from repeat or referral customers. It plans to open more retail locations in the New York tristate area and beyond within the next few years.

Clearly, My.Suit has created a new way to buy a suit. But I'm also impressed with how it seamlessly intertwines retail and online operations. Customers get the same brand experience online as they do in-store, which makes for happier, less confused customers. Way to go, My.Suit.