Ask Harry: Harry Rosen’s VP of Digital Talks Online Shopping, Fall Trends and the Future of Retail

Sharp Staff October 27, 2020

We spoke to Ian Rosen, Harry Rosen’s VP of Digital Ian Rosen, about the iconic retailer’s new and improved online shopping experience, what to wear this fall and the future of retail.

You just launched a new harryrosen.com. What are your favourite features?
Easily my favourite is our new search experience. We’ve allowed our clients to include their size and an indication of their price range right in the search bar, and we also put a tremendous amount of effort into ensuring the website was blazing fast; we know just how important our clients’ time is and we don’t want to waste it with them waiting for a page to load! In a few weeks we’ll launch a Personal Style Quiz that will allow the client to set their preferences and share what occasions they’re shopping for. Based on the responses we’ll be able to personalize recommendations and help clients navigate through our product catalogue.

How do you like shopping online?
I’m a bad planner, so my online shopping is nearly 100 percent impulse driven. For example, I realized just yesterday morning I’d run low on some of my grooming essentials and by the time I was dressed, I had ordered new cologne, beard oil, and replacement toothbrush heads. Historically online shopping was a spin of the roulette wheel; you never knew what you were going to get. That’s why today you see e-commerce leaders so focused on crafting the right product descriptions, providing detailed product measurements, and taking incredible product photographs.

What’s your latest score?
I used the forced time away from my CrossFit gym to pick up running, and I’ve been loading up on all of the incredible activewear from ON Running. Their running pants and long sleeve performance shirts are perfect for an outdoor run, and their Cloud X runners are as cushioned as the name implies. ON is such a perfect example of how fashion is meeting function.

And your current grail?
I don’t think I could live without my navy blue Moncler down vest. It’s just so damn versatile. It goes well as a layering piece over a sports jacket on my walk to work and over a hoodie on the weekend. I’ve never been big on puffer vests but was pleasantly surprised by just how slim they’ve kept the design despite it being packed with down.

What’s the next big trend in menswear? In retail?
For menswear – I think there is an inspiring trend we’ve termed “modern heritage” where designers are using classic fabrics, patterns and styles in modern silhouettes. It’s everything from bold patterns on overcoats to brass buttons on blazers. For retail, it has to be the integration of offline to online, and online to offline shopping journeys. Clients are completing their journey in a store after browsing extensively online, and conversely we see clients that see something in the store but want to think about it and purchase it at home. I think the experiences that customers remember will be ones where they didn’t hit a roadblock in doing whatever was best for them.