How Same-day Delivery Boosted Onia’s Customer Experience
Published on: July 8, 2020
Few brands embody summer as genuinely as Onia. The direct-to-consumer swimwear brand has made quite the splash over the past decade with its minimal and timeless designs. Inspired by modern voyagers, Onia is far more than an online retailer; it is a consumer-centric lifestyle brand committed to providing the most sun-sational experience throughout the entire customer journey. The brand aims to make easy living more attainable – starting with an easy and enjoyable last-mile experience for its customers (they offer on-demand swimsuit delivery and 1-on-1 sessions with a stylist). We sat down with Onia’s co-founder, Nathan Romano, to chat about swimwear style, customer expectations, and how same-day delivery has transformed their business.
Tell us a bit about why you created Onia, the brand’s original vision, and how it has evolved since its earliest days.
Onia: We noticed that there was a definitive void in the market for high-quality, perfectly fitting men’s swim trunks — we became the first brand to offer guys tailored swimwear that they could wear on and off the beach. As the brand grew, we remained steadfast in our commitment to revolutionizing the swim and resort wear business for both men and women. We remain a company of firsts, of breaking new ground, whether that be in translating ready-to-wear for the water or working with premium heritage fabric houses like Liberty and Ratti or upholding a rigorous standard of technology that sets us apart from other names in the space.
What experience does Onia offer its online shoppers?
Customer service is at the root of everything we do, and we are always looking for ways to offer a more seamless service to our Onia family wherever they are shopping. One positive review we repeatedly garner from our customers is that our deliveries are prompt and reliable, and we’re proud of that record. We also recently introduced same-day contactless delivery. We offer returns for all full-priced merchandise within 14 days of the delivery date. Online sessions with a stylist are also available by request — we love to help people figure out what Onia pieces fit their sensibilities.
Onia offers outstanding post-purchase experiences
3 words to describe Onia:
Quality. Style. Timeless.
3 words to describe your swimsuits:
Fit. Comfort. Luxury.
3 words to describe your customers:
Loyal. Entrepreneurial. Independent.
You’ve been around since 2009. What has changed over the past few years when it comes to customer expectations?
Perhaps, customers care a bit about the story behind the brand, the personality, the POV. They care about the world of social media and they want to interact with us there. But, since 2009, the main expectations continue to regard quality, fit, and style. That’s something we never lose sight of.
Which channels do you use to manage your customer experience and relationships?
We try to be available to our fans in as many ways as possible. We have a dedicated Customer Service team that fields customers’ inquiries over the phone, on email, and through constant monitoring of social media, from DMs to comments. For us, our consumers understand the brand so well, so we’re always excited to hear their thoughts and see how we can continue to refine the CS process — and the brand in general — through our interactions.
Onia’s Instagram account is gorgeous and full of life. What’s the inspiration behind the account?
Our DNA is all about travel, so we think of our social media as a portal for modern voyagers to explore new destinations, get inspired for warm-weather vacations, and really see the quality and fit of our pieces in a visual enriching way. A lot of our inspirational content ties back to the /brief, Onia’s online magazine, where you can find stories about everything from the rising new chef to the best beach movies of all time.
Onia’s customer enjoy same-day delivery and online stylists
What are some of the issues customers run into when ordering swimwear online? How does Onia handle these issues?
Fit is usually the #1 issue. Our team of dedicated customer services is well-versed in every collection — their product knowledge is unbelievable! Because they have been at a lot of the fit-testing and have gone through training familiarizing themselves with how our pieces fit on a variety of body types, they are well-versed at answering questions and helping customers decide what size is right for them. It’s quite an art-form for us.
How important is the last-mile to Onia and its customers? How do you provide a brand experience that extends throughout the post-purchase phase?
The last mile is important, if not more important, than the first mile. Buying something from Onia is not just a transaction, it is an experience. And, as such, we offer our extended family everything from private sales to social media call-outs (every Friday we post #myonia which features UGC content from our customers around the world) to, as we mentioned, a digital lifestyle magazine — the /brief — that offers compelling stories, travel advice, and culture happenings, really just an extension of the Onia world. And, of course, your customer service doesn’t end after purchase. We are around for style advice, for article ideas, for recommendations….whatever our customers have to say, we want to hear.
Onia recently started offering same-day delivery in NYC. Why was it important for your brand to begin offering this and what has been the overall response?
First of all, in the midst of COVID-19, we thought this would offer customers a safe, expedient redemption experience — our entire same-day delivery process is contactless, ensuring the health of our consumers and employees. We also believe in adapting to and servicing their lifestyles — we know the typical Onia customer is extremely busy and always on-the-go, so this is one way to offer instant gratification, especially, say if you’re packing at the last minute for a holiday or want to try things on immediately. The response has been incredible — we see customers ordering more pieces than before and returning less, which we really think is due, again, to the immediacy and efficacy of the system.
New colors and summer styles
We’re on the market for a new swimsuit. What are some of your favorite summer styles? For men:
