Tech-Enabled Retail with Mel Cummings, Fabletics

Since 2013, Fabletics has been doing things differently. They created a membership program for shoppers, which goes beyond a subscription model to build a relationship with shoppers. They also built their own tech solution because the market wasn’t mature enough to meet their needs.


Their custom-built tech solution allows them to blend in-store and online shopping unlike any traditional retailer and collect data that sets them up to better understand and serve their customers.

Mel Cummings, VP of Product at Fabletics, joins us to share how her team is elevating the entire shopping experience in a way that wouldn’t be possible without their unique approach to technology. 

Mel also discusses using data to uncover opportunities, enabling deeper customer connections, and the importance of knowing your “why.”

Takeaways: 

  • Memberships build stronger relationships with customers.
  • Build a custom solution when you need control and flexibility.
  • Know your “why.”
  • Tech enables a deeper connection with your customers.
  • Create a 360 view of your customers’ habits.
  • Use data to uncover problems and opportunities.

Things to Listen For:

  • [00:30] Mel’s journey into product leadership
  • [01:20] Membership vs. subscription programs
  • [03:20] Prioritizing customer feedback
  • [04:00] Enabling a physical products company with tech
  • [05:00] Providing flexibility with custom digital tools
  • [07:00] Amplifying initiatives with tech
  • [08:00] Investing in tech training
  • [09:00] Obsessing over the customer
  • [10:20] Using data to uncover problems
  • [13:00] Understanding the relationship between in-store and online shopping
  • [14:30] Creating a 360 view of customers’ habits
  • [15:30] Applying A/B testing to retail
  • [16:30] Enabling connection through digital products
  • [17:30] Identifying your “why”
  • [19:00] Building vs. buying
  • [20:00] The future of Fabletics