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Key findings from the interview
- Qualitative research with female clients allows strategic decisions to be made on the basis of real experiences rather than intuition.
- In the case of Bouduar, it proved crucial to look at the brand through the lens of the customer experience, rather than solely through the product itself.
- The process of ordering bespoke lingerie was not perceived by customers as complicated - on the contrary, it was judged to be clear and well guided.
- Clients appreciate lingerie that combines utilitarian function with aesthetics and confidence, even when the lingerie pieces are visible underneath the styling.
- Fitting the bodysuit to the torso length and specific measurements is one advantage that standard shops do not usually give.
- What emerged from the research was the need for „in-between” products: not extremely everyday and not vulgarly erotic, but subtle, sensual and comfortable.
- Brand development can include not only new lingerie models, but also dresses designed for specific constructions, educational activities and further customer journey studies.
What the conversation is about
Martyna Sobiecka talks to Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke about the research conducted in the process of building Bouduar's new brand strategy. The starting point is the question of what customers really think: how they buy lingerie, what they need, what is comfortable for them and which elements of the shopping process matter.
The interviewees also discuss practical findings from their interviews with female customers: from the experience of placing an order and collecting measurements, to the problem of body fitting, to the needs of erotic lingerie, open-back dresses, developing the range and planning further research. In the background, there is also the broader theme of female comfort, confidence and conscious brand design around the real needs of the female audience.
Key concepts
- Brand strategy - a long-term plan that defines the brand's direction, communication, offer and customer experience.
- Brand experience - the entirety of the customer's experience of the brand: from first contact to purchase and use of the product.
- Qualitative research - interviews and discussions to understand the motivations, feelings and needs of female clients.
- Customer journey - the customer's path from the moment she gets to know the brand, through the purchasing decision to the receipt and use of the product.
- Tailor-made underwear - product tailored to specific dimensions, not just standard sizes.
- Consumer Insight - important conclusion about the behaviour and needs of female customers, which helps to make better business decisions.
List of topics of conversation
- [00:00:00] Introduction to the episode and introduction of the guests.
- [00:01:49] Why conduct customer research when creating a brand strategy.
- [00:04:04] How clients reacted to taking part in the research and why such conversations are valuable.
- [00:06:35] The role of underwear in everyday life and in building confidence.
- [00:07:52] The process of ordering bespoke lingerie and the surprisingly good feedback from female customers.
- [00:10:11] Measurement difficulties with the body and the importance of trunk length.
- [00:12:31] The idea of dresses designed under Bouduar underwear.
- [00:14:33] What the research showed about customers' understanding of erotic lingerie.
- [00:17:39] New „Send Your Dream” feature and gift shopping.
- [00:19:16] Products and brand development areas resulting from the strategy.
- [00:22:01] Plans for further research, customer journey and product testing.
- [00:24:18] Acknowledgements and closing of the episode.
Podcast experts / Interviewees
Martyna Sobiecka - host of the Naked DNA podcast and owner of the Bouduar brand. In the interview, she provides the perspective of the brand's founder and the person responsible for developing the range and customer experience.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke - brand strategy specialist. She is responsible for discussing the research process, the conclusions of the customer interviews and translating them into Bouduar's direction.
Quotes from the conversation
In such a situation, it is best to approach the subject from the research side.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke
This analysis and the interviews with your clients have really provided us with a lot of interesting findings.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke
In the research, it came out that the process of ordering underwear from you was very simple and absolutely no problem for anyone.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke
In this erotic lingerie, it is very important that you feel comfortable and that it fits really nicely.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke
There are still a lot of cool and interesting projects ahead of us, including educational projects.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important to survey female customers when building a brand strategy?
Because it allows decisions to be based on the real experiences and needs of female consumers. This ensures that the brand does not just act intuitively, but develops in a direction that is borne out by conversations with female customers.
Did customers find the process of ordering bespoke lingerie difficult?
No. From the interview, the research yielded surprisingly good evaluations of the process: instructions were clear, contact was efficient, and any corrections were not a problem.
What products or developments have emerged from the research?
Prominent themes included erotic lingerie, open-back dresses, honeymoon and maternity products, as well as educational activities and further development of the brand's offering.
What did the clients understand as erotic lingerie?
Not only the very daring models. For some, a subtly see-through bra was already something erotic, as long as it remained comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and maintained „with taste”.
What distinguishes a bespoke body?
First and foremost, the fit matches the torso length and individual measurements. This solves the problem, which in standard shops often concerns a bodysuit that is too short or ill-fitting.
What further research is the brand planning?
The interviewees mention customer journey analysis, pre- and post-purchase experience research and product testing, which would allow prototypes and new ideas to be tested in practice.
Full transcript of the interview
Introduction to the episode
[00:00:00] Martyna Sobiecka:
Welcome to the Bouduar Naked DNA podcast. I'm Martina and today I invite you on a journey into the world of Bouduar - a place where beauty, elegance and passion meet professionalism.
In this podcast, I talk to experts that our brand works with on a daily basis. We share knowledge from areas that are familiar to our company - from lingerie and construction to brand development and customer experience.
If you are interested in the world of beautiful lingerie and inspirational talks, you are in the right place. I promise a good dose of valuable information that will broaden your horizons and help you better understand the topics close to our brand.
If you don't already subscribe to the channel, I warmly invite you to do so. I'd also be delighted if you share your feedback, because that's how we can create even more valuable content for you.
Today I host Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke, a brand strategy and digital marketing specialist, on our podcast.
Pamela and I have created a new marketing strategy, and today we're going to delve into the foundation of this strategy - the customer survey. We'll talk about what lessons have been learned from this research and how it has influenced the development of the Bouduar brand.
[00:01:49] Martyna Sobiecka:
Hi, Pamela.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
Hi, Martina.
Why survey female customers
[00:01:54] Martyna Sobiecka:
We see each other once again. You promised me you'd tell me a little bit about the research we did when we were building our brand strategy.
This was important to me because these conversations shed a whole new light on how we created the strategy and the conclusions that emerged at the end of the process.
To begin with, I would like to ask you what goal you set yourself. What did you want to gain from the customer survey and what conclusions did you find?
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
In the case of Bouduar, it was about finding a new path for the brand - one that would be the next stage in its evolution.
In order not to wander around looking for ideas that would only potentially work, it was best to approach the topic from the research side.
So we set up trend analysis, competitor analysis and research with your customers. I decided to base the strategy on a brand experience perspective, or brand experience.
Looking at how brands are evolving today, especially in a very digitised world, the customer experience becomes extremely important. It is what builds competitiveness and recognition.
Trend and competitive analysis was important, but it was the interviews with your clients that gave us the most valuable insights.
[00:04:04] Martyna Sobiecka:
These conversations were conducted over the phone with real customers who had previously bought our products. So we had quite a large base of people to talk to.
I am very pleased that our female customers agreed so readily to participate in the survey, because it is not at all obvious. A lot of companies run different surveys and not everyone is willing to participate.
For me, it was also very valuable that after these interviews, the clients spoke positively about the process itself. It was a new experience for them, but at the same time valuable.
I also wanted to thank you for that, because the way you conducted it was really very good.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
I think the subject itself was also important. After all, we don't talk about underwear every day. For many women, what they wear under their clothes is simply meant to be comfortable, to be easy to move in and to fulfil a function.
Often, buying everyday underwear is treated more like a chore than a pleasure. It is not the same kind of excitement as when buying a dress or other visible piece of clothing.
Underwear and self-confidence
[00:06:35] Martyna Sobiecka:
And I think what you wear underneath makes a huge difference to your confidence. I'll be honest, I love wearing cool lingerie even on a daily basis because it really gives me confidence.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
Definitely. And this also came out very clearly in the research.
Clients said they found your lingerie to be a bit of a special task lingerie - it can be worn under clothes with big necklines or cut-outs.
Interestingly, female respondents emphasised that this lingerie is so well sewn and so pretty that even if you can see a strap or a bra strap somewhere from underneath the styling, it is not a problem. On the contrary, it still looks good.
It also showed me the difference between ordinary, everyday lingerie and a product that the client wants to wear consciously and without restraint.
Tailor-made sewing order process
[00:07:52] Martyna Sobiecka:
I sometimes laugh that buying from us is not a simple stage, because you don't just walk into a shopping mall, pick up a few sets from a hanger and try them on on the spot.
With us, you view the product online, then you have to measure yourself and go through several steps to finally order this underwear.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
That's what was interesting, because what came out of the research was that this process is not perceived as complicated at all. It's more your perspective from the inside.
For the customers, the ordering process was very easy and absolutely no problem. They simply said that everything was well described on the website, the instructions were clear, the contact with you was very good and if there was a problem, the lingerie was corrected.
To be honest, I was even keen to find something that could still be improved. I was looking for weaknesses, but clients simply said that everything was working very well.
Martyna Sobiecka:
Even so, I still found room for improvement and plan to introduce it in the new version of the shop.
I would like the client to be even better guided step by step and be able to enter her measurements in a more intuitive way. I hope this will make the whole process even simpler.
For me, this was a big pain point, because virtually no company I knew had such an extensive process for clients to measure themselves.
Bodies, dimensions and real customer needs
[00:10:11] Martyna Sobiecka:
With just the bust, it's still half bad, but if you have a bodice, more dimensions come into play. The hips have to be taken into account, and the most difficult one turns out to be the torso length, i.e. the distance from the line under the bust to the crotch.
This is where a lot of errors really occur, so when customers send me their measurements, I can often see straight away whether the measurement has been taken correctly. If I have any doubts, I immediately send additional instructions and ask them to check again.
I haven't come across an underwear company before that collects so much data to prepare a product, so it took me a long time to figure out how to do it well and as simply as possible at the same time.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
And this was also surprising to me, because the customers did not see this as a barrier to purchase at all.
By the way, the bodysuits also drew attention to something else: in regular shops, a huge problem is the length of the bodysuit. With you, this problem practically disappears, because the underwear is tailored to your measurements.
This is very important because torso length does not always go hand in hand with height. That is why this additional measurement gives you such a big advantage.
Martyna Sobiecka:
Exactly. A well-measured front length puts the bust exactly where it should be - not too high and not too low. This makes a huge difference to the comfort and appearance of the whole silhouette.
The idea of dresses designed under lingerie
[00:12:31] Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
One other thing also occurred to me. One idea for the development of the brand was to introduce dresses sewn in such a way that they form a set with lingerie.
It is about a situation where a client buys a dress with an open back or a difficult neckline and can immediately choose the right lingerie to go with it.
During the interviews, the theme of the distinctive yellow dress from the film How to Lose a Boyfriend in 10 Days came up again and again. Clients thought of such cuts and wondered how to match them with lingerie.
I feel that if this idea remains valid, it could be a very interesting direction for the brand.
Martyna Sobiecka:
Yes, this is somewhere in the back of my mind. Before that, erotic lingerie and further educational activities will probably take precedence, but in the more summery season I would very much like to introduce dresses made strictly for our lingerie.
That would be really great, because if you're buying a dress and lingerie from us, everything can be perfectly matched straight away.
Anyway, the fashion for dresses with cut-outs and exposed backs is not disappearing at all, so this direction still seems very promising to me.
What research has shown about erotic underwear
[00:14:33] Martyna Sobiecka:
And was there anything else that particularly surprised you during the interviews? Something that really changed your outlook?
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
Yes - questions about erotic lingerie. This was a very interesting thread for me.
I expected erotic lingerie to mean something much more kinky to your female clients. Meanwhile, it turned out not at all.
In these conversations, it came out that the very fact that a bra is slightly see-through is, for some women, a category of erotic lingerie.
As I have been looking at different brands and their offerings over the last few months, my understanding of this category has been much broader. Therefore, these answers were really surprising to me.
On the one hand, I wondered if the female respondents were simply more conservative and, on the other, if this wasn't simply their real need: something subtle, revealing but with flavour.
Martyna Sobiecka:
And this is exactly what is sorely lacking in the market. On the one hand we have erotic lingerie, which everyone knows with very literal associations, and on the other hand quite everyday lingerie, without much finesse.
My impression is that there is indeed something missing in between.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
There was also a very interesting question: do we buy erotic lingerie for ourselves or for our partner?
I had no thesis of my own here - I just wanted to hear how clients perceived it. The answers varied, but the theme of the partner often came up.
At the same time, it was very clear that even with erotic lingerie, comfort is key. Women wanted such lingerie to fit well, not cut in and simply be comfortable.
And it's erotic too - not just the look itself, but how a woman feels in a particular model.
New feature in the shop and gift shopping
[00:17:39] Martyna Sobiecka:
What you are talking about now has also influenced one new feature we are introducing to the shop.
This will include a „Send your dream” function. The customer will be able to indicate the model she likes, include the measurements and send this to her partner as a ready-made gift suggestion.
Since we often buy lingerie with our partners in mind, why shouldn't our partners buy it for us?
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
This is a very good idea, especially as the survey participants included women who came to you through gift vouchers.
I think „Send Your Dream” could be a great option for couples, as I know that men often ask to order lingerie as a gift.
Martyna Sobiecka:
Yes, of course, we're hinting at how you can get a sneak peek at the measurements from your bra, or how to do it in such a way that the surprise is successful.
At this point, men mostly buy pyjamas because it is a safer product and easier to size. If someone wears a size S, an S will usually fit.
With lingerie, we need more data, so the whole process is more complex. However, I believe that the new function will simplify this process - both on the part of the customer and the person buying the gift.
What products and developments stem from the strategy
[00:19:16] Martyna Sobiecka:
If we were to summarise what we learnt from clients, what main products or areas of development come to mind?
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
The theme of erotic lingerie is certainly returning. There are also dresses with open backs and, in general, products that respond to specific life situations of female customers.
Something else also emerged from our strategy: since so many customers buy bridal lingerie from you, the question naturally arises as to what to do next.
Then there is the wedding night, then living together, the need to nurture intimacy in harmony with one's boundaries, then motherhood and getting back together after motherhood.
This shows that there are still a lot of interesting projects ahead of the brand - including educational projects.
Martyna Sobiecka:
Yes, I don't want to give too much away yet, but indeed it all ties in very strongly with what we are talking about today.
It's not just about introducing new products. We also want to learn from experts and invite them to the podcast.
Among others, we will be talking to sexologists, psychologists and other experts about topics related to erotica, relationships, the body and women's needs.
These are important areas, yet often neglected because we live very fast and simply do not pay enough attention to them.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
That is exactly right. I could not have put it better.
Further research and the future of the brand
[00:22:01] Martyna Sobiecka:
Moving on to future plans - we have already talked about wanting to test how the new strategy works through the eyes of female clients.
This means more opinion polls. Do you have any more ideas about what would be worth researching?
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
I would certainly like to look at the customer journey, i.e. how customers come to you, how they make the decision to buy and how they then evaluate the whole experience of ordering and using the lingerie.
I would like to understand both the pre-purchase stage and what happens afterwards.
I also dream of product tests - testing prototypes and gathering feedback from the market before new solutions become permanent.
It would also be worth thinking about innovative products, limited drops, collaborations with designers or influencers who have an interesting style and could create something unique with you.
In the research, there was a need for things that were more unique, made in small batches and in collaboration with specific people.
We also talked about cosmetics as a potential addition to the range. This could also be an interesting direction to check out.
Martyna Sobiecka:
Definitely. So I'd also encourage listeners to share their needs and ideas of what they'd like to see in shop in the comments, as this could inspire us for more tests.
Acknowledgements and conclusion
[00:24:18] Martyna Sobiecka:
This is a subject that could go on for ages. We could talk for a long time about our clients and what we learned during our research.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to both you, Pamela, and our clients who participated in the research.
They have given us a wealth of knowledge, on the basis of which we can set a new course for Bouduar. I am very pleased that we will be able to test, verify and translate these conclusions into concrete actions.
Thank you again to you too. I hope we find another interesting topic for conversation.
If you have your own topic suggestions, please let us know. We would be happy to share our knowledge and experience within the lingerie industry.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
Thank you, it was a pleasure for me too to participate in this process. I think there's still a lot ahead of us.
Martyna Sobiecka:
See you later.
Pamela Fusiarz-Pieczke:
See you later.
Martyna Sobiecka:
We'd love for you to rate our podcast and share your thoughts on this episode over on our Instagram and Facebook. We're really grateful for all your reviews.
Summary
This conversation shows that brand strategy doesn't have to be created solely at a desk. For Bouduar, carefully listening to the female customers proved to be key: their daily experiences, language, needs, and expectations regarding bespoke lingerie.
The research findings go far beyond marketing here. They concern product design, communication, offer development and building relationships with women who want to feel comfortable, beautiful and cared for at the same time. In a similar vein, it is also worth reading the text on embodiment and female self-acceptance: The Bust as a Symbol of Femininity: How to enjoy your own body?. The article is also directly related to the topic of strategy Customer opinion research as a key element in building strategy.
Source
YouTube source video: https://youtu.be/8mRoFwNDQIs
