The Future of Retail - Revolve's Invite-Only Social Club

Want to hear something surprising? Last week Revolve clothing opened up a brick-and-mortar retail shop on Melrose in West Hollywood, California. So why is that out of the ordinary? Well because this 3,500-sq.-ft. space is a by-invitation-only venue, open to Revolve’s “most-devoted customers, brand ambassadors and fashion influencers.” Although the initial invite went to about 200 people - I did not get one - so I can only read about this event from industry publications.

WDD reported its a three-level building which includes an upper deck with a 360º view of Los Angeles and the space is designed to allow the retailer to connect more directly with its customers through private shopping, exclusive events and a deeper brand experience, according to Revolve. To that end, members can schedule a personalized shopping experience, with the entire store curated for that member using Revolve’s data-driven merchandising algorithms combined with its styling team. “This is the first time a physical retail space can be fully customized and merchandised for an individual customer,” Revolve stated.

So is this the future of retail? I guess we’ll have to see, but until then, this is an interesting step forward and I’m excited to see how this goes and what comes from it.