Nadine West: A Disciplined Restart Strategy
Executive Summary
The Problem
Nadine West is relaunching with a clear, focused strategy rooted in operational discipline. Our customer hasn't changed — but we failed her. From 2022–2023, our core customer received low-quality inventory, overstuffed shipments, and pricing that didn't fit her budget. The result: a collapse in keep rates and contribution margin.
The Solution
This memo outlines our path to recovery — a strategy based on narrowing focus, restoring trust, and proving the model in a capital-efficient way.
Our Core Customer
Demographic: Women aged 35–60
Income: Low-to-middle income
Location: Small towns, suburbs, and rural America
Values: Affordability, simplicity, convenience over fashion trends
Alternatives: None that serve her affordably with a personal styling subscription model
She can't afford Stitch Fix or Daily Look. And they don't want her. But we've proven we can serve her profitably — when we do it right.
Diagnosis (The Crux)
Inventory quality degraded
Shipments ballooned with too many low-value items
Prices rose while perceived value fell
Our collapse in keep rates was not a mystery. It was self-inflicted:
We stopped doing what made Nadine West successful in the first place: serving our customer with operational discipline and empathy.
Guiding Policy
Focus on restoring operational excellence in serving our core customer. Return to what worked: better inventory, smaller boxes, lower prices, and tighter customer alignment. Say "no" to new customer types, speculative inventory, and top-line chasing.
Better Inventory
Smaller Boxes
Lower Prices
Customer Alignment
Coherent Actions
Define the Customer
Build a clear, data-backed profile. Exclude non-core segments from targeting, styling, or reactivation.
Inventory Reset
Buy only from high-ROI vendors and categories. No speculative inventory.
Simplify the Catalog
Cut down SKUs. Reduce complexity. Focus on what keeps.
Slim the Box
Fewer items per box. Lower shipping costs. More focus per item.
Right-Size Pricing
Align prices with customer expectations. Offer value, not volume.
Cut Customer Acquisition
Pause new acquisition. Focus on reactivating high-value former customers.
Rebuild Trust
Communicate transparently. Ask for feedback. Respond visibly.
Here's how we'll implement this policy:
Phase 1: Test and Learn
1,000-shipment relaunch
To past best-fit customers
Measure KPIs
Track critical metrics
Analyze Results
Evaluate performance
Scale if Validated
Expand only after proof
We will test this strategy with a 1,000-shipment relaunch to past best-fit customers. Our KPIs:
  • Keep Rate
  • Contribution Margin per Box
  • NPS or qualitative customer satisfaction
  • Inventory ROI
We'll only scale after the model is validated.
Market Context
Current Market Conditions
Consumer and retail are currently out of favor with investors. Capital is tight. But that means few are building for this customer, and even fewer can do it profitably.
Nadine West Advantages
  • Brand awareness in the category
  • A rebuilt leadership team
  • A fully functional logistics engine
  • And a renewed commitment to profitability
Use of Funds
Exit Strategy
Long-term hold
Stable cash flow
Tuck-in acquisition
By a larger e-commerce or retail player seeking this demographic
Roll-up platform play
For value-driven women's fashion
This is not a "blitzscale" story. This is a profitable niche story with potential for:
Why Us? Why Now?
Our customer is still here
She still wants affordable, personalized fashion. She just needs us to do it right.
Our team is intact
Experienced, and hungry. We've done this before.
We have the infrastructure
We have a focused plan