Queenit establishes YELO research lab to study shoppers in their 40s and 50s

Lab tracks and analyzes purchasing journey to shape products and services

Provided by Queenit
Provided by Queenit

Queenit, a lifestyle shopping platform for women in their 40s and 50s operated by Rapo Labs, has been reaping the benefits of a dedicated research lab it launched in May. The lab analyzes the everyday lives and purchasing decisions of its customers and feeds those findings back into its products and services.

According to Queenit, the lab — named YELO — published its first external research note last month, five months after its launch. Titled "Looking Again at the Familiar," the note surveyed 447 women between the ages of 45 and 59 about how they prefer to search for products. The most common response, at 30.4 percent, was "clothes that are easy to wash and care for," while searching "by fabric name, such as cotton, linen or wool" was limited to 2.9 percent. Responses about wanting clothes that hold their shape over time or produce little pilling also ranked near the top.

In-depth interviews with nine participants revealed that the same blended fabric could trigger entirely different memories. One recalled a garment that had pilled; another described how softly it had felt against the skin. Some checked wool content to gauge how much care washing would require. YELO summarized the finding this way: "Women in their 40s and 50s have already worn the clothes before they buy them."

The results show what customers are really looking for in fabric information — whether a garment will feel comfortable against the body, whether it will keep its shape after washing, and how much upkeep it will demand. What YELO is trying to understand goes beyond purchase history: it is the thinking and experience behind a customer's choices. Even among women in the same age group, tastes and lifestyles differ, so the lab focuses on the context behind each purchase.

YELO also examined the journey from first encountering a product to deciding to buy it. Between July and August this year, it conducted a "shopping diary" study with 30 women in their 40s and 50s, asking them to document their shopping experiences. The findings showed that recommendations from close acquaintances or groups with similar tastes played a meaningful role in converting interest into an actual purchase. Whose recommendation a shopper trusted varied by product category and situation: customers tended to make their own judgments on clothing, but for beauty products and health supplements they placed greater trust in celebrities of a similar age.

Since YELO's launch in May, Queenit has completed 16 research projects, including a regular survey of 738 customers to identify shopper profiles. The insights gained feed directly into how Queenit operates. Brand preference data is cross-referenced with actual sales figures to decide which brands to bring onto the platform and which to develop further. Research findings also inform how product information is displayed, how the home screen is organized, and which marketing channels are selected. Information on texture, thickness and washing methods gathered through the fabric study is slated for use in future product descriptions and content planning.

Going forward, Queenit plans to continue its regular surveys and brand preference studies to deepen its understanding of customers, and to share research findings with brands on the platform so they can apply them to product development and marketing. "We will look not only at what consumers in their 40s and 50s buy, but also at how they use and care for those products," a Queenit official said. "We will connect the shopping clues we find in their daily lives to Queenit's product lineup and services."

A casual lookbook image from Queenit [Provided by Queenit]
A casual lookbook image from Queenit [Provided by Queenit]

spa@heraldcorp.com