Advanced Image Retouching & Design Solutions for a Leading Apparel Retailer

In the competitive and rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape, a leading Canadian apparel retailer sought to enhance its digital presence. This white paper outlines the implementation of MS2 Retail’s remote team augmentation strategy, addressing critical challenges and significantly improving operational efficiency through specialized remote talent.

 

Challenges Encountered by the Canadian Apparel Retailer:

As a prominent participant in the Canadian men’s apparel market, the retailer faced several challenges in efficiently managing its e-commerce onboarding processes, particularly in overcoming the backlog in post-production image retouching.

 

1. Seasonal Variations: The retailer experienced difficulty in managing the fluctuating workload of post-production image retouching, with requirements varying from 200 to 1500 images weekly due to seasonal sales and product variations. Reliance on agencies and third-party contractors led to inconsistent image quality and aesthetic discrepancies.
2. Resource Limitations: Limited in-house capabilities and challenging labor market conditions hindered timely onboarding and affected market responsiveness. Reliance on third-party services incurred substantial costs, often exceeding 150% of equivalent in-house expenses.
3. Specialized Skill Requirements: The unique brand aesthetic and specific apparel types necessitated retouchers with niche expertise, making local talent acquisition particularly challenging.

Solution Overview: Remote Team Augmentation by MS2 Retail:

In response, MS2 Retail introduced a comprehensive remote team augmentation strategy, enhancing the retailer’s workforce with the following key components:

 

1. Skilled Remote Talent: A selection of specialized remote talent proficient in image retouching was sourced from India, capitalizing on the country’s extensive expertise in this area. This approach ensured high-quality product visuals that met customer expectations and aligned with brand aesthetics.
2. Scalability and Customization: The solution offered scalable and customizable remote talent solutions, quickly adapting to the retailer’s variable onboarding requirements and platform-specific workflows.
3. Seamless Technology Integration: By facilitating the integration of cutting-edge tools and technologies, MS2 Retail optimized the onboarding process for greater efficiency and precision, augmenting the contributions of the remote retouchers.

Post-Implementation Improvements:

Following the implementation of the remote team augmentation strategy, the retailer observed significant enhancements:

 

1. Streamlined Onboarding: The streamlined process substantially reduced the time-to-hire, cutting down the typical 4-8 weeks to a mere 2 weeks with remote team talent.
2. Flexible Resource Management: The adaptable nature of the remote team augmentation allowed the retailer to dynamically scale resources as per demand, enhancing overall cost-effectiveness.
3. Elevated Quality and Consistency: With dedicated and customized retouching talent, the retailer experienced a marked improvement in post-production retouching quality. The professionals, boasting eight years of experience with major multinational apparel retailers, were well-versed in both technical retouching and workflow management.
4. Reduced Operational Costs: Adopting remote teams eliminated the overhead costs associated with in-house hiring, including office space, equipment, utilities, and administrative expenses.
5. Mitigation of Recruitment Expenses and Lower Labor Costs: The strategy led to considerable savings by avoiding traditional recruitment expenses and reducing labor costs by over 50% compared to local hiring.

Financial Benefits and Cost Savings:

The remote team augmentation strategy resulted in an approximate 50% reduction in overall operational costs compared to conventional local hiring. The retailer leveraged these substantial savings to strategically allocate resources towards marketing, product innovation, and customer experience improvements. Noteworthy financial benefits include:

 

1. Reduction in Overheads: Marked decrease in costs related to in-house operations.
2. Mitigation of Recruitment Expenses: Significant savings from circumventing traditional hiring costs.
3. Optimized Labor Costs: Access to skilled professionals at a fraction of the cost compared to local alternatives.
4. Flexible Resource Management: Ability to efficiently scale resources in response to varying business needs.

The strategic incorporation of remote team augmentation not only streamlined the retailer’s onboarding processes but also delivered substantial returns on investment by enhancing cost-effectiveness without compromising on quality or productivity. This case study demonstrates the value proposition of MS2 Retail’s approach, emphasizing the importance of innovative solutions in the competitive e-commerce landscape.