Exclusive interview with Mover and Shaker Jennifer Dixon of Hunter Dixon, on the new HunterDixon.com Shopping Experience! Whom You Know Highly Recommends Hunter Dixon: Nothing Can Be Finer than to Be Wearing Carolina in Manhattan, and Now You Can Wear it Anywhere You Are By Shopping Online!
We first featured Hunter Dixon's fabulous blazer, because nothing can be finer than wearing Carolina in Manhattan:
So, Jennifer Dixon earned a spot as a Mover and Shaker:
And just last week the online store was launched:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/07/we-told-you-hunter-dixon-is-where-its.html
Jennifer Dixon graciously chatted with Peachy Deegan about this hot topic!
Peachy Deegan: What is the most exciting aspect of the new online store?
Jennifer Dixon: We are most excited that people from all over the world can view the full Hunter Dixon and Blouse program online. The lookbook that we put out every season has been in the past more of a tool for store buyers and press, it is also online now to view. However, it is hard to see the details of the clothes in the look-book; the e-commerce shots are up-close product shots and more simple styling to really show case the clothes.
Hunter Dixon can now be purchased even if there is not a physical location in one's city, state or country. Or perhaps there is a store in a city close-by that carries Hunter Dixon but they don't have a certain style that a customer really wants to buy. We hope it raises brand awareness about Hunter Dixon by being able to see the whole collection at once.
Is anything available for purchase online only? If so, what?
Going forward there will be certain colors of our blouses exclusively sold online. Additionally, in next 6 months to a year we hope to build a blouse archive (also exclusive to online) of silk prints used in the last 4 years. Not many people may be aware that Hunter actually designs our silk prints; all of the prints have been so key to tying the collections together each season. Yet the Hunter Dixon prints are timeless and we want to bring them back to offer to our customer who might not have known about Hunter Dixon one, two or three years ago and didn't get to experience some of the early prints.
What do you know now about the process of setting an online shopping site that you learned in the process of setting it up?
It is somewhat tedious, but with the right developers and creative team it can be a seamless process. Initially, it is important to choose several online shopping sites that you like to analyze which components are right for your brand, which ones are not and which ones you need to add. We were running on a tight deadline surrounding our e-commerce launch with: a Daily Candy Promotion and an O Magazine Promotion; it was a stressful week getting things up on time on the back end with descriptions, inventory, and more but we made it! Again, no need to re-invent the wheel, but we did want to make sure there were components of our e-commerce that set us apart and are different, and make a shopper want to come back because it was a wonderful shopping experience. Our e-commerce site like our web-site is an evolution so we will be making updates as often as every week and daily at some point.
What would most people not realize about the challenges of making a perfect online shopping experience?
We are still learning about this; there are still components that we want to incorporate. I think the following are very important for a successful online shopping experience: the clothes should be easy to view, the styling should make sense for the target customer, the method to purchase needs to be seamless, and there should be a customer service representative who an help at all times.
How far will you ship with the online store?
We will ship throughout the United States and we will ship internationally to the UK. We are going to be working with a firm who will handle wholesale/publicity in the UK for us, so naturally we will need to at least ship in the UK. We will focus on broadening worldwide shipping over the next 6 months to a year and possibly sooner if there is a demand. [Peachy: We know we consistently have about 20 countries hitting whomyouknow.com each day, so be sure to demand Hunter Dixon.]
What should we know about sizing in case this is someone's first exciting new Hunter Dixon design experience?
Hunter Dixon is sized 0 - 12 and XS-L; the sizing is contemporary. For example, we are sized similarly to other brands that we hang with in SAKS (5th floor NYC) such as: Rebecca Taylor, Nannette Lapore, Tibi, DVF and Catherine Malandrino.
Do you offer petite sizes?
We do not offer petite, we are sized 0-12. Hunter, co-founder and designer, is petite and she has to get a lot of her jackets, pants and dresses altered.
How does having a personal HD Stylist work? We see that as an option, as well as emailing a friend your selection.
We currently have four categories of online shopping: tops, jackets, dresses and bottoms. The idea is to be able to email us at Hunter Dixon for styling tips. Maybe you love the way we paired a top with a jacket but you just want a "stylist" to help suggest a younger/older look OR suggest pairing with something that is already in your closet. We will help you brainstorm! And the "email a friend" function works in some of the same capacity; you want a friend's input on a purchase or maybe you think a friend might like it for themselves.
We are in love with shoes at Whom You Know. Will we ever see shoes by Hunter Dixon? How about jewelry or accessories?
We love shoes as well!! But first we are working on belts as accessories; they are actually paired up with our blouses currently on the site. These are simple silk belts with gold snaps that will retail for $55.00 (as shown on the Gigi Dress and Mo Top online): http://199.124.60.243/store/
Regarding jewelry, we would love to collaborate with our good friends, DANNIJO http://www.dannijo.
What goals do you have for the online store?
We want to add more views of each style, more colors. We want to expand the categories, more blouses. Within the categories we want to to have more different kinds of blouses and at some point exclusive silhouettes for the website. We would like the store to be more interactive; we just launched our blog as well and we will begin to cross promote products on the blog, other blogs and our Facebook Page.
What future ideas do you have for shopping at HunterDixon.com?
We want to add "shop the look" not only to suggest actually styling tips within the Hunter Dixon marketplace but also pulling in other of our "favorite things". There are so many amazing brands that we get to experience and take for granted here in New York because such talent abounds. We want to get the word out on other emerging designers and talent in the New York Metro area.
