Fall Risk founder says that bucking the 'frictionless' retail trend helped him grow his company, which he started with a phone number that people called to buy clothes

Shoshy Ciment

Jan 14, 2020, 21:30 IST

Fall Risk founder says that bucking the 'frictionless' retail trend helped him grow his company, which he started with a phone number that people called to buy clothes

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Amazon's frictionless model, which makes shopping online faster and easier, isn't the only way to succeed in retail.

Fall Risk founder and design director John Targon said during a session at Business Insider's IGNITION: Redefining Retail conference in New York City on Tuesday that bucking the trend of "frictionless" retail helped his company grow.
When Targon founded his company in early 2019, Fall Risk customers had to call a company phone number, 212-982-RISK, to order clothing and interact with the brand.
Maggie Winter, CEO and cofounder of AYR, whose company FaceTimes its customers, said that building connections and personal relationships with shoppers is essential.
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For Fall Risk founder and design director John Targon, the Amazon approach is not ideal.

"I think I kind of buck the trend of 'make things easy' and 'deliver in one click,'" Targon said of his business model during Business Insider's IGNITION: Redefining Retail conference in New York City on Tuesday.

Targon spoke with AYR CEO and cofounder Maggie Winter in a conversation moderated by Leandra Medine, founder of Man Repeller.

Though increasingly desired, Amazon's "frictionless retail" model, which aims to makes shopping online faster and easier, isn't the only way to succeed in retail.

When Targon founded his company in early 2019, people had to call a company phone number, 212-982-RISK, to order clothing and interact with the brand. Though this process was clunkier and not nearly as frictionless as Amazon's model, Targon said it helped him understand what the customer wanted in their own words. He said he found that feedback invaluable.

"I, purposely, when I set out and launched Fall Risk, my M.O. was know as much as I possibly can," Targon said.

Connecting with consumers is an essential part of AYR's business model as well, Winter said at the conference. For her clothing company, the best place to interact with customers is in the stores themselves.

"Our stores are the size of studio apartments. They're really small, they're pretty efficient," Winter said. "They dont have a lot of product in them. They have great energy and vibes."

Winter added that her company utilizes Instagram and FaceTime to build connections and personal relationships with customers.

"It doesn't start with: 'What size jeans do you wear?'" Winter said. "It starts with: 'Where and how do you live? Where do you work? Do you have kids? What's your day like?' And then, you know, getting to know a person."

In his opening remarks at Business Insider's retail conference, Geoff Ramsey, eMarketer's cofounder and chief evangelist, said that frictionless commerce will be a top trend in digital retail for 2020.

Watch IGNITION: Redefining Retail live here.