Last week I asked why Sears hasn’t been able to benefit from its association with more upscale brand Lands’ End in the same way that, say, Target has benefited from its association with Isaac Mizrahi or Michael Graves (“Sears Seeks Gilt by Association”). As usual, you offered plenty of answers.
Several respondents noted that Sears didn’t seem to be lavishing enough attention to detail and emphasis on integration on Lands’ End. “The Lands’ End line has not been positioned very well by Sears,” wrote one reader. “I don’t know what they’re doing nationally but advertising here in St. Louis has been practically nonexistent. Plus there is no signage in the store promoting the Lands’ End line. It appears to me to have been just stuck out in the clothing area where they had some extra space. People don’t know they have it, and when they do it looks like Lands End cut a deal to get their clothes into a Sears retail outlet.” Pretty shabby treatment for a brand known for its top quality.
“Companies such as Target and J.C. Penney have improved the customer experience at the same time they added the higher-class brands to their product lines,” wrote another reader. “On the other hand, the customer experience with Sears has lost much of its savor as they have moved away from integrating store merchandise with catalog offerings. For example, if a dress is desired in the store but the size is out of stock, the customer should be able to place a catalog order for the correct size. J.C. Penney does this quite well. Sears, on the other hand, has moved away from this policy. Their failure has little to do with the quality or image of Lands’ End. Bringing a new brand on board is usually not enough to lift a sinking ship. Sears needs to focus on the customer experience more, for one thing, by better integrating their catalog and Internet sales with their store merchandise and policies.”
Another respondent, referring to Lands’ End’s online Custom Clothing option, suggested, “Why not set up a section with Lands’ End’s custom shirts, jeans, and chinos in the Sears stores where you could phone in your order? Talbots has those hotline phones for ordering from their catalogs, and it works great, a real synergistic approach.”
Several respondents simply thought that Sears’ 2002 acquisition of Lands’ End was misbegotten. “I never bought the marriage,” wrote one. “I always perceived that Lands’ End was being ‘sucked in’ to the relationship. The other relationships you mentioned were all voluntary (e.g., Martha Stewart wanted to be in Kmart). In a strange way, this made Kmart actually more approachable. Sears, on the other hand, came off as a mean bully trying to get a quick fix to their brand.”
Another reader approached the relationship from less anthropomorphic point of view: “Question: Have Sears or Kmart customers heard of Lands’ End? Question: Do Lands’ End buyers shop at Sears or Kmart for clothing? Question: Does the quality of your tools or appliances have anything to do with the quality of your clothes? Question: Do people who buy quality appliances and tools buy quality clothes? Answers to all questions: no.”
One respondent advised Sears to hew to the time-old wisdom of playing to one’s strengths: “Sears has huge strength in its hardware lines… It can continue to maintain this by expanding its hardware, home improvement, and related lines. These lines can be complemented with narrow and deep clothing lines that support the Craftsman line such as work clothes, shoes, and boots for men, women, and children. Carhart, Woolridge, and other such lines prove that this customer has money and is not afraid to spend if the quality is there. Sears is, for this loyal customer, nirvana. Except Sears has abandoned this customer for someone else that it has yet to define. Once Sears ‘rediscovers’ who it is and thus its customer, it can expand its floor to provide color and cut in soft lines for these outdoor workers, weekend warriors, and recreational outdoors folks.”
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