Female-led fashion retailer, Tilletts, has gone the extra mile when it comes to customer service as they have taken the time to get to know their consumers through the power of social media. The Grimsby-based clothing brand decided to make a private Facebook group to connect with women who buy their clothes and find out more about what clothes women over 30 want to wear. Over 13k (13.5) women across the UK have joined the Tilletts VIP group as it helps promote body positivity and gives women all shapes and sizes a voice.

This online community has been a massive success for Tilletts as it has allowed them to discover what this demographic of women want from a fashion brand. Instead of receiving generic feedback, the women in the Facebook group have felt motivated to create posts that show them wearing various clothing and shared how Tilletts’ collections have helped them feel stylish and confident in self-isolation. Some of the best sellers have been activewear and loungewear as consumers have wanted clothes that they can wear comfortably either at home or outdoors when they have been able to go out to exercise.

The family-run business also shares regular content in the group about their lives at home. It gives a behind the scenes glimpse of what it’s like running a fashion business and being a mum while in self-isolation as Melanie Tillett and her daughter Grace Tillett Austwick have shared what it’s like to run a retail company in the UK.

The businesswomen have had to adjust to working remotely and managing their duties as mums from home. Along with finding a balance between home and work life, the family-run business has shared how communication is an essential part of the company.

Buying and marketing director, Grace Tillett Austwick, shares what it has been like being a working mum during the pandemic:

“Since we have had to run the business at home, I’ve found it challenging like many other working mums to find a balance between work and family time. I’ve got two young children who are 19 months and 8 months old, and it’s helped motivate me to work harder as I’ve had to juggle my work and my responsibilities at home as a mum. However, like many newborn mums, I’ve learnt to adapt to working from home, and I’ve enjoyed having more quality time with mum and the rest of my family during self-isolation as they have helped me take care of my children.”

Along with adjusting to living in the new norm,  this female-led business has to invest in new technology to keep up with stock, logistics, sales and other responsibilities part of their daily job. They have also had to rely on software to track the business performance online from their households, as well as to plan and design future collections.

Managing Director at Tilletts, Melanie Tillett shares that investing in the right technology and staff is essential to help you succeed in the industry:

“Experimenting with new systems has helped us find new ways to manage stock and customers sales during the pandemic. We have found software which helps us with our logistics and how we can ensure our customers receive their clothing without any postal issues.”

“Planning and thinking on a quarterly and yearly basis allows you to set reasonable goals, key metrics and implement focus areas in the business. We also make sure that when we recruit, we hire staff who are knowledgeable of the market and are passionate about fashion.”

“As a business, we invest time into our customers by going on Facebook live and posting content that allows our customers to go through the retail experience online. We work hard to ensure our clothes are made of the best quality and are produced in the UK where possible.”