Grace Loves Lace

Grace Loves Lace has been selected as an ABA100® Winner for Business Excellence in The Australian Business Awards 2020. The Australian Business Award for Business Excellence [BXA] recognises organisations that have achieved outstanding results through initiatives that demonstrate excellence in business management.

Grace Loves Lace, an e-commerce business producing and delivering bridal gowns, occasion wear and accessories, was born in 2010 when Megan Ziems was searching for her wedding gown. There was a huge gap in the market for a brand that targeted modern women, connected with and inspired them. Before GLL, modern brides searching for The Dress were limited to local ateliers often at extortionate prices. GLL’s garment construction is untraditional for the market offering; Comfortable, stretch, versatile, lightweight fits without rigid structure. When GLL launched, this kind of product was unavailable. In today’s bridal market, GLL dominates the space for high quality gowns handmade in Australia, in luxurious European laces and silks at an affordable price point which are available online. None of GLL’s competitors offer a live-chat service on their e-commerce websites and GLL’s Online Stylist team have the fastest and most thorough response rate in the industry. The principal factors which determine GLL’s success in the industry are the manufacturing methods and standards, the quality and of the product, and the standard of service offered throughout the entire customer journey, both online and offline.

Revolutionising the bridal offering by launching a one-stop-shop for forward-thinking brides around the world, GLL disrupted a stale, uniformed industry to fill a gap in the bridal market for high quality made- to-order wedding gowns at an affordable price point. GLL launched a unique product: handmade gowns sold exclusively online to brides all over the world – all at a revolutionary price point. GLL’s business model was perfectly geared for global e-commerce – from product design, fabrication and garment construction, to the appointment of online stylists, everything about the brand catered to international markets in the online space. The collection of wedding gowns and accessories are designed and handmade in their Australian studio in luxurious European laces and silks. GLL offer a Made To Order service at no additional cost and stock an inventory of Ready To Wear gowns to cater to the increasing demand for urgent last minute orders. GLL pioneered the bridal space by designing innovative designs that could be bought online- making the experience easy, enjoyable and exciting. The GLL style started a new wave of bridal with unstructured, versatile fits, luxurious fabrics at affordable prices. Today GLL remain affordable, ethically and competitively priced because GLL don’t wholesale or make extortionate mark-up’s which is traditional for products and services within the bridal market. GLL fills the gap in the market for an innovative online experience with product that is just as innovative and accessible. Today GLL regularly design pieces and collections based on customer feedback. Every platform is product-content rich to provide customers with product knowledge and familiarity. The highly unique Online Stylist team assist brides to feel confident and stress-free during their ordering process.

Since the success of the global GLL Concierge strategy, GLL decided to take the permanent approach and expand the showroom locations across the globe, now hosting 4 in Australia, 5 in the United States and 1 in the United Kingdom. The two most important factors contributing to the success of a showroom are selecting the right location based on research and qualifying the leads and priming them to convert before their appointment. The business has grown exponentially since opening these showrooms, shaping GLL into the powerful and innovative brand it is today. The initiative of opening a showroom is measured across a number of different benefits, impacts and value creation. GLL analyses sales, employee retention, customer satisfaction through survey responses to assess the overall impact and value creation that opening a showroom in the new location has had on the business and the category. Job creation within the new market is a key benefit for the local economy, the wider GLL business and the wedding industry in that market. The showroom targets customers in new and emerging markets for GLL, thereby providing the brand on the ground exposure to the local target consumer in a high touch setting. Ultimately, showroom openings result in increased sales, both on the spot and the flow on effect of entering and nurturing a new market. Showrooms also cements GLL as a world class and global brand, proving the company is ranked high in the industry which increases both brand equity and awareness. Commercially, the brand awareness across multiple major markets is a huge achievement for the company. Online and physical sales sincerely increased due to this. Job opportunities have been created in each new market, as well as new revenue streams for the company by having increased direct distribution in new and emerging markets.

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