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E-COMMERCE enters

the co-working space

SERVICE DESIGN – As e-commerce and

shared office space flourish simultaneously,

we see entrepreneur-dominated co-working

outfit WeWork join hands with luxury

fashion-subscription service Rent the Runway,

leaving me to wonder – why didn’t I think of

that? Shipping via snail mail until now, Rent

the Runway made its name by lending its

customers ‘endless wardrobes’, ranging from

four pieces per month at US$89 to an unlim-

ited number of high-end garments (four items

at a time) at $159 a month. Recently, the brand

announced plans to install drop-off lockers

for the easy pick-up and return of borrowed

garments at 15 WeWork offices across six US

cities: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles,

Chicago, Miami and Washington, D.C. The

unorthodox retail concept slashes time in

transit, following the lead of the champion

of instant gratification: Amazon.com. The

partnership also enables the fashion service

to skip the not-so-smart boxes, digital courier

keys (another Amazon innovation) and several

other imperfect methods for delivering pack-

ages to residences when customers aren’t at

home. The drop boxes will give co-workers

inside WeWork’s offices easy access to the

brand’s sartorial goodies, and the general

public will have access to them as well, permit-

ting Rent the Runway to extend its physical

presence into bricks-and-mortar locations

without the need to invest in stand-alone

stores. Eventually, though, Rent the Runway

says it will set up mini-stores inside WeWork

offices, taking advantage of the retail space

available there. – SM

wework.com

renttherunway.com

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