We visited a ModCloth store to see why Walmart reportedly plans to sell the company just 2 years after acquiring it
The New York City ModCloth store is located in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, a prime shopping district and destination for tourists. Though ModCloth is primarily an e-commerce company, it also has three additional stores in Austin, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.
As we approached the store, we saw a sign for an extra 40% off already discounted items.
We also saw a display emblazoned with ModCloth's mission statement to make "original prints and patterns and unique styles accessible to all."
When we first walked in, we noticed the store was bright and airy. However, we didn't see many shoppers on a recent Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend.
We spotted a sign near the front explaining the FitShop, which is intended to function like a personal styling experience.
This personal styling approach explains why some of the shelves were fairly sparse. A sales associate told us that they keep a full range of sizes in the back.
The FitShops are intended to feature samples of styles and sizes for shoppers to try on, before placing their order online.
"Nothing is more frustrating than ordering something online and finding out it doesn't fit," former ModCloth CEO Antonio Nieves told Business Insider in 2018. "This is an avenue to improve that experience."
Source: Business Insider
ModCloth has long been a proponent of size inclusivity, and it recently expanded its sizing to include XXS to 4X and 00 to 28.
Beyond apparel, the store features a range of additional items, including accessories, coffee-table books, and home goods.
The store also featured some local flair, like this display of handmade leather products made by a New York-based artist.
There was also this New York City guidebook for Instagrammers, positioned alongside some very Instagrammable wallpaper.
Throughout the store, you can see touches of the traditional ModCloth whimsy, like these rainbow sandals.
There is no register in the store. Instead, the sales associates — which ModCloth calls ModStylists — process payments on handheld iPads. We found this iPad near the shoe section for customers to shop styles they may not find in the store.
The store was fairly small, but it included unique flourishes, like this funky light fixture.
There were various 40% signs throughout the store, and the sales associates were pushing the sale as well.
Near the fitting rooms, we found another sign promoting discounted apparel.
Each of the fitting rooms had a different quirky wallpaper, like this room with a ballpoint pen pattern.
Ultimately, it was difficult to see from first glance why ModCloth might be struggling. The store was well-organized and bright, and the sales associates were helpful and friendly. However, in the end, the lack of shoppers was perhaps telling.
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