FEATURE
Shona Joy , Sydney Shona Joy , designer
Inside Retail : How has the bridal sector evolved since Covid-19 and how has Shona Joy responded to that ? Shona Joy : It ’ s been a heartbreaking year for many brides having to cancel , reschedule or downsize their initial plans for their big day . We ’ ve definitely seen the trend toward smaller scale weddings and the ‘ unconventional bride ’ continue , particularly with the added level of uncertainty of changing regulations and travel restrictions that the entire industry has had to navigate . With this , our customer has continued to move away from the conventional expectations of bridal — looking for more intimate ways to celebrate love , opting for dresses that can be worn again and keeping a focus on the elements that mean most to them , rather than the scale of the day .
IR : Tell me about the new website and what it offers customers . Our digital flagship launched in June last year with the mission to offer our customer an immersive brand experience , along with added features to support the online shopping journey . We included detailed Zoom functionality , built out our navigation and predictive search , added product video capabilities , swatch libraries , as well as more detailed product information to ensure our customers felt fully informed without being able to physically touch and feel the garments . Additionally , we added a wishlist function to help our brides share their favourite styles with their bridal party .
Since then , the digital journey hasn ’ t slowed down and we ’ ve continued to listen to our customers to find ways to evolve and improve the site . From this feedback , we improved our shipping globally by offering a free upgrade to express shipping for all customers ,
22 | www . insideretail . com . au May 2021