• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, January 29, 2024

Stitch Fix is introducing Style Tune Ups, an interactive getting-dressed experience that injects Spotify into the algorithm. The new partnership pairs Stitch Fix’s 2024 fashion forecast with Spotify playlists, interjecting customer's personalized style recommendations into the soundtrack of their lives.

Stitch Fix is working closely with influencers on social media channels, who are sharing their wardrobe choices and playlists.

The company, undergoing a brutal period of contraction, says the partnership is a new way to make the discovery of personal style engaging and inspiring.

“With the launch of Style Tune Ups, we can offer everyone a fun and creative way to make getting dressed easier,” says Debbie Woloshin, chief marketing officer, in an email to D2C Insider.

One of her favorite examples: Raven Ross (@pilatesbodyraven), with almost a million followers, has been posting about the ways Stitch Fix’s "Everyday Vaycay" trend and a curated playlist from Spotify inspired her to pack for an upcoming holiday.

The feature works with a free Spotify account.

Stitch Fix has long been at the forefront of meshing algorithms with style. It says the style forecast, for example, draw on billions of data points taken from some 100 million recent “fixes,” or curated fashion choices for members. It adds that the partnership with Spotify makes an “intuitive” next step for Stitch Fix, letting users blend their outfits with a musical mood or artist.

It learned, for instance, that 80% of its members look to Taylor Swift for inspiration.

As part of the effort, Stitch Fix is also including a limited-time offer on virtual styling appointments for concerts starting next month. Stylists will be ready to help clients dress for many of the season’s upcoming hot tours, from Olivia Rodrigo to Nicki Minaj, meshing each customer’s fashion history with artist-specific trends.

Moving across platforms may help Stitch Fix, which is struggling on multiple fronts. In its most recent quarterly results, net sales plunged 18% to $364.8 million from $443.7 million in the same period of the prior year. And while it trimmed its quarterly loss to $35.3 million from $55.9 million, it is also losing customers, with just 2.9 million active clients in the first quarter of its fiscal year. That’s down from 3.1 million in the prior quarter and 3.5 million in the year-ago period.

Customers are also spending less, with net revenue per customer clocking in at $504 for the last four quarters, down from $541.

All that has left observers skeptical that Stitch Fix can regain its swagger. Matt Baer, tapped as the new CEO back in June after leaving a digital post at Macy’s, has said he is confident the company’s best growth lies ahead.

The company has also had widespread layoffs, as have many in the tech, D2C and subscription-based sectors. Another hurdle is that, while AI-generated solutions made Stitch Fix seem prescient when it launched in 2011, they are rapidly becoming the norm in many companies.