Job Love | Emerging Trends in Customer Experience for 2016

Good morning!

One of the cool things I get to do at my job, above and beyond my typical research duties, is contribute to editorial pieces and stalk neat trends as they are happening.

Today, I received some exciting news:

Weekday Inspiration | Lyst the Style-Savvy Solution Seekers

Shopping cart abandonment is a huge issue for the e-commerce world of fashion. Browsing is fun, pulling together outfits and imagining yourself in that $5000 frock can provide hours of entertainment. But, at the end of the 'window shopping spree' reality hits, you realize dropping thousands, even hundreds, of dollars is not fiscally responsible, and you call it a day. Like I did last Friday on Garmentory.

When Lyst, an online fashion website and app, was redirecting its shoppers to a brand's website to complete the sale, cart abandonment accounted for as much as 10% loss in conversion. The process of shuffling from one site to another was clunky, and customers were getting bored and frustrated. Just two years after launching a $25M business, Lyst CEO Chris Morton found himself pivoting and refocusing his business towards on a new model.

If the chief pain point for Lyst's users was the clunky checkout process, what better place to solution than there?

Read on for Lyst's creative, and very valuable, solution to this problem.

Newest Obsession | Garmentory

Uh oh.....

I've unwillingly stepped into a super addictive trap and now I can't get out. Enter Garmentory.

This site is full of beautiful clothing from indie boutiques and designers, including Thakoon, Heidi Merrick, Helmut Lang and Matt & Nat. Free shipping in USA and Canada. West-coast based and this site's curative skills are off the hoooooooook! Yikes. Yikes. Triple Yikes.

Here are some of my favourites, though I've barely been looking at the site for 10 minutes...

NATIVE YOUTH METALLIC JACQUARD CIGARETTE PANTS $48
 

 
 VLADIMIR KARALEEV OVER DRESS $143

HEIDI MERRICK FLEDGE TOP $99

Read on for more of my picks, almost every single one is on sale BTW!

Weekday Inspiration | Innovation at Lululemon Whitespace

I love innovation.

Well, I suppose that's a pretty obvious statement, I mean who doesn't like to improve and radically transform something into a novel and fresh result?

I may be biased, as a former employee of the company, but I appreciate the innovative nature of lululemon. Their fabric technology is inspiring, and the fit and design is always surprising and delightful.

For a company that prides itself on innovation, it only makes sense they should employ a whole team of professionals whose sole pursuit is generating new ideas and revolutionary solutions to all our athletic-wear needs. Enter the lululemon Whitespace Workshop.

Top 5 | Best Downtown Toronto Groupon Fitness Deals (Right Now)

This is for all you fitness fanatics who hate to pay full price to workout!

I am addicted to Groupon. And, since I am not so addicted to getting my workout on, sweet fitness deals certainly help me get (and stay) motivated.

Enter Groupon's January 2016 deals (as of January 7, 2016 - please don't hate me if these deals expire before you read this!!). Read on for 5 amazing deals that made my jaw drop (and had me pulling out my credit card lol).

Weekday Inspiration | Sunshine Mentality

I am not a morning person. For this reason, getting back to work this week has been especially difficult for me. After two weeks of hedonistic sleep patterns, my internal clock was not prepared for regular bedtimes and wake up calls.

However, when your morning view involves pinks, purples and oranges backdropped against the CN Tower, waking up early certainly seems like a small price.

Click through to see my view (once I stopped hitting snooze):

Top 5 | Resolutions 2016

Hi you guys!!!

I feel awful for such a long hiatus. The holidays snuck up on me, bringing with them a whirlwind of friends, family, travel, (much needed) sleep and, of course, a healthy dose of partying. But new year, new me, new blog...promise!

I've been known to make quite a few aggressive goals/resolutions in the past. 2016 is no different. However, this time, I'm breaking the year into mini steps, taking a moment at the beginning of each month to reflect on what's important to me.

Click the link to see the 5 key questions I asked myself on January 1: