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What’s up with Bonobos?

February 27, 2012 By Joe | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head here to learn more.

Early 2012 – Bonobos gets a little quiet…

Then:  Codes were plentiful.  Some kind of daily deal/groupon would show up from time to time.  The sale section was good and stocked, and you could tell what sizes were available at a glance.

Now: Codes have dried up unless you’re a new customer.  Deals have gone missing.  The sale section certainly has some tempting finds, but finding out if they have your size ain’t as easy as it used to be.  They’ve also started doing some print ads (see the ad from the latest Esquire above.)

Anybody else sensing that change is afoot at Bonobos?

A quick email exchange with the Bonobos folks yielded a few answers.

  • There will always be a first-time deal for new customers.  Look for those codes in ads.  Right now, SPRING12 gets new customers 20% off their first order through 3/31/12.  But it does say “Valid on items over $50.”
  • Deals will still be happening.  Official word is that we should “be on the lookout for limited offerings on deal sites over the next few months…“
  • Bonobos is instating a “give $25, get $25” referral program.  Meaning:  If you refer a new customer, they’ll get $25 off their first purchase of $75 or more and you’ll get a $25 account credit.
  • They’re still doing Friday “Happy Hour” discounts via the Bonobos Facebook page.  Each Friday, Bonobos FB Fans vote from three items they want a deal on.  At 4pm ET the item with the most votes goes on sale.
  • Try Twitter:  Bonobos also “direct messages new followers with promo codes on twitter as a thank you…“

Has Bonobos started to slip off your radar?  Or are they as strong as ever?  Your take goes in the comments below.

Filed Under: Clothing Tagged With: Bonobos

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Comments

  1. guest says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:21 AM

    Bonobos was extremely lack with respect to their coupon codes and referral system, which allowed for massive exploitation of the system. I’m sure most people here took advantage of this. I will still make purchases from them, but it will be a bit less often.  

  2. guest says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:21 AM

    Bonobos was extremely lack with respect to their coupon codes and referral system, which allowed for massive exploitation of the system. I’m sure most people here took advantage of this. I will still make purchases from them, but it will be a bit less often.  

  3. Ray_T says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:22 AM

    Two quick questions:

    1) When did this email exchange take place? I was denied any referral credit at all two weeks ago when a friend I referred made his first purchase. Not even the $25.

    2) Does this mean that all percent off codes such as “BETTERFIT” and “SIXPACKABS” that were floating around a few weeks ago are now invalid (save for first-time customers/twitter/etc.)?

    A reply on the ‘Ask a Ninja’ on facebook confirms that Bonobos is pretty much done growing their customer base and will be running very limited deals with daily sites.

    Without codes combined with daily deals, their pants really aren’t worth full retail to me.

    Best Regards,

    Ray T

  4. Ray_T says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:22 AM

    Two quick questions:

    1) When did this email exchange take place? I was denied any referral credit at all two weeks ago when a friend I referred made his first purchase. Not even the $25.

    2) Does this mean that all percent off codes such as “BETTERFIT” and “SIXPACKABS” that were floating around a few weeks ago are now invalid (save for first-time customers/twitter/etc.)?

    A reply on the ‘Ask a Ninja’ on facebook confirms that Bonobos is pretty much done growing their customer base and will be running very limited deals with daily sites.

    Without codes combined with daily deals, their pants really aren’t worth full retail to me.

    Best Regards,

    Ray T

  5. Tyler Mazzucco says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:25 AM

    Discounting simply decreases after a certain level of exposure of a company is reached. Bonobos has just reached that level. Discounting and sales are horrible for a business, but it’s become the nature of online retailers because of how available all sales and comparison shopping there is online — it’s clicks away. 

    This decreasing amount of discounting will always happen. Do you think you’d ever see Bonobos do a Groupon again ? Heck no. Why do they want to attract more ‘sale-only’ customers when the brand is at an exposure level most men shopping online have heard about them?

  6. Tyler Mazzucco says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:25 AM

    Discounting simply decreases after a certain level of exposure of a company is reached. Bonobos has just reached that level. Discounting and sales are horrible for a business, but it’s become the nature of online retailers because of how available all sales and comparison shopping there is online — it’s clicks away. 

    This decreasing amount of discounting will always happen. Do you think you’d ever see Bonobos do a Groupon again ? Heck no. Why do they want to attract more ‘sale-only’ customers when the brand is at an exposure level most men shopping online have heard about them?

  7. Tyler Mazzucco says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:28 AM

    Better way to summarize this:

    THEN: Over produced discounts and sales to introduce brand.

    NOW: The way it should be. They set and price and people pay for it instead of waiting around until everything that’s ever purchased is sold for less. It drives up standard pricing.

  8. Whiteknight says

    February 27, 2012 at 4:33 AM

    Sadly I didn’t discovered Bonobos until about two weeks ago.  I’d love to try some of their pants but without codes they’re awfully expensive.

  9. Ryan N. says

    February 27, 2012 at 4:35 AM

    I used to shop a lot (and I mean, a LOT) with them, when they had over 50% off often and the sizes were easy to peruse. Now, they’ve introduced far too many different brands away from their own, which upscales their site to make their prices seem tame in comparison. I won’t be buying nearly as much now, but they still offer great stuff and phenomenal customer service.

  10. MagM says

    February 27, 2012 at 5:10 AM

    I used a deal site coupon with Bonobos about two weeks ago. Wouldn’t expect any to be out constantly.

  11. pajarosucio says

    February 27, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    I realize that they are an upstart company that used those deals to gain exposure and entice people to check out their products.  I suppose they are more well known now and are moving away from that model.  I don’t begrudge any company for making money and I will still purchase from there, but I will have to be more picky.  

  12. Steven Bremer says

    February 27, 2012 at 6:31 AM

    I have said this on other Bonobos topics on dappered.com and on threads.dappered.com. I refuse to buy from them unless there is either a good coupon code or a Groupon type deal. To me the quality of product is very good, but not good enough to justify the price versus places like Gap or JCrew

  13. guest says

    February 27, 2012 at 8:40 AM

    I”ll say that the pants are really nice. Especially now that they’ve introduced the slim-fit pants, thick-thighed people like myself no longer need to take the pants to the tailor.

  14. Joe says

    February 27, 2012 at 9:01 AM

    1.) Happened late last week.
    2.) Yup, pretty sure that’s what that means.  I think.

  15. Joe says

    February 27, 2012 at 9:02 AM

    On board with this.  Wonder if their prices will come down though, a touch, to meet somewhere in the middle of THEN and NOW.

  16. BenR says

    February 27, 2012 at 9:08 AM

    And I’d just been thinking about starting to build up some coupon codes, discounts, etc. to try out one of their suits. Honestly, though, I’m not going to pay $600 for a suit with unknown fit when I know I can get a decent, well-fitted suit from BR for ~$350 with a sale code. Especially when Bonobos uses scary phrases like “more accommodating fit across the chest” to describe their jackets. Is that a polite way of saying their jackets fit like sacks, or what?

  17. Whiteknight says

    February 27, 2012 at 9:33 AM

    Really?  I find that with “thick thighs” brought on by years of squats and deadlifts cause any slim-fit pant to be too tight in the thighs and crotch area.  Is that not your experience?

  18. hornsup84 says

    February 27, 2012 at 10:39 AM

     EFFORTLESSGENT still works for 20% off, if you haven’t already used it

  19. hornsup84 says

    February 27, 2012 at 10:40 AM

     I’m with you WK — I think their regular straight leg chinos are pretty spot-on, at least for me.

  20. Dan says

    February 27, 2012 at 10:47 AM

    I do love the fit of their bull denim, but with the price tag of $98, they just aren’t worth it without a code.  Also, I’ve noticed that Bonobos is starting to add more options to their own brand (more pant colors, sweaters, shirts, etc), instead of having a nice mix of other brands, such as Gant and Jack Spade.  I’m hoping they get some new items in from other brands soon, because their variety is starting to lack and I’m starting to lose interest in their site overall.

  21. Ryan says

    February 27, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    Agreed with some of the earlier comments.  I would bet that this Phase I – Phase II kind of strategy was in their original business plan.  You hook customers by selling products at such discounts, even possibly losing money on some, and then you can charge a comfortable margin.

    I’m a perfect example of the assumed risk — I’d like to buy only Bonobos pants from now on but I’ll never pay more than $50 for a casual pair or $70 for dress pants so they’ve essentially lost my business even though I love their product.

  22. JS says

    February 27, 2012 at 1:57 PM

    BETTERFIT doesn’t work anymore. I was on the phone with them a couple weeks ago and she said that it was no longer a valid code and they are (paraphrasing) “re-doing a lot of their codes”. Which now is aka for not having many, I guess. She was kind enough to give me 20% off anyway though.

  23. Jon Space says

    February 27, 2012 at 3:04 PM

    I bought a groupon for bonobos but after never finding my size i wrote groupon and got my money back. No thank you. Too expensive, and the limited sizes sucks. 

  24. hornsup84 says

    February 27, 2012 at 3:37 PM

     Not sure when you were looking, or what in particular you were looking at, but for the most part their regular items have plenty of sizes available.  Sale items are usually on sale because they aren’t re-stocking the item in all the sizes and are getting rid of what’s left.

    As for expensive, their regular prices haven’t changed that much as of late (a few $10 increases a season or two back for pants).  You could stack your groupon (assuming it was a 30 for 60 or the like) and get a pair of pants for ~ $40 total.  That’s pretty reasonable, all things considered.

  25. BenR says

    February 27, 2012 at 4:42 PM

    I looked for my size back when they had that crazy, 50% off for FB fans deal (or whatever it was) and I could find about two pairs of pants in my size (31×30), neither of which were in colors/styles/materials I was interested in. I don’t browse there often, so maybe that was a fluke, but the few times I’ve looked around, I’ve had a hard time finding anything I wanted to buy in my size.

  26. hornsup84 says

    February 27, 2012 at 5:29 PM

     I agree that during their super sales they definitely have limited supply (after all, it was 50% off).  Since they’re a relatively smaller company still, I imagine it necessitates them making less-than-enormous buys from their suppliers for each style/item they make, so it does lead to more “out of stock” sizes.

    As a disclosure, I don’t work for them, don’t get paid to promote them, etc.  I just appreciate the issues inherent with a smaller/startup business in an area such as retail, given the economies of scale (or lack thereof).  That and I think their pants are great, and they easily have the best customer service I’ve come across.

  27. Todd says

    February 27, 2012 at 5:34 PM

    For me, the sweet spot where I would basically only shop “Bonobos” would be in that $50-$75 range.  It would likely get scary for my finances, but I have had great success in style and fit. 

    The pants are a dream for me and I do have a good amount of their stuff and like it all in a big way.  The problem lies in that I want 4-5 shirts and pants on their site right now, but NO WAY am I spending $475-$500 for it! CUt a couple hundred off and I will place the order.  The shirts and pants I like are $98 and with a “cheap” $88 pair of pants for good measure.  Come on, that is a ton of dough!!  Throw in some discount codes and get the per item price down to ~$60 or so, and all is good.

    The hiccup for them is, do you want $325 for the 5-pieces of clothes on a regular basis (say 4-5 times a year) or a sporadic $90 pair of pants 1-2 times a year?  Like another guy mentioned, I will simply be picky or go elsewhere…

  28. bertstare says

    February 28, 2012 at 12:32 PM

    aware

  29. The Chang says

    February 29, 2012 at 12:17 AM

    I’ve been satisfied with my Bonobos purchases so far but those were using coupons and living social deals. There is no way I would pay full price for any of their clothes. It’s way too expensive and it’s not worth what you pay for at those prices. $150 for khakis? Really? Anyway, I am probably going use all my remaining gift certificates and not purchase anything unless something goes on sale or prices drop.

  30. John Rote says

    February 29, 2012 at 7:44 PM

    Hey guys, John from Bonobos here.  Thought I’d weigh in and offer a couple of thoughts and my insider notes on where the deals are:
    •  SALE PAGE – Check it out.  Lots of good stuff.  Sort by size is a pain in the butt right now, and we’re working on improving navigation, but there are some really good deals to find on that page.•  REFERRAL PROGRAM – We’re about to launch it.  Great way to earn some store credit if you don’t mind telling your friends about us. •  EMAIL LIST – Sign up.  Most of our emails are about product launches, style stuff, etc, but if you’re on the list you’ll get access to a few “list only” specials. •  TWITTER/FACEBOOK – Follow us and fan us.  Just like our email list, we talk about new products and other stuff a lot, but you’ll also get access to a few sales/specials, like the Friday Happy Hours.•  LOYALTY PROGRAM – It’s still in it’s infancy, but many of our best deals are for our best customers and for folks that engage with us by writing product reviews, filling out their fit profiles, etc.  More to come here, but the general idea is that the more you shop with us and the more your interact with us, the more likely you’ll get access to the best deals. 

    Hope this helps answer a few questions folks had.  We’re still young and learning, so appreciate the love and feedback from everyone.

    Give us a shout at ninjas@bonobos.com or me at @johnbonobos anytime we can help out 

  31. YouMadBrah says

    March 1, 2012 at 12:20 AM

    S&P up in this.  

  32. Trevor Hawks says

    April 11, 2012 at 7:52 PM

    Most of their pants are made in America.  I’m fine with paying a premium for that. The customer service is second to none. I’m fine with paying a premium for that. You’ll never find a pair of (wool) pants with the quality that bonobos is offering for $75 that isn’t made in China and sold by some 16 year old girl that would rather talk on her cellphone than say thank you for your purchase.

    What I’ve found with Bonobos, is that the fit is spot on for me.  I know what I’m getting, and between the look and comfort, I know I’ll like them with very few exceptions.  I can buy pants from the Gap, Express, BR or Macys or whatever for $60, but in the end, the cut is usually off and after the initial first few wearings, they sit in my closet for the rest of their lives until I take them to goodwill.  I’ve made the decision to buy half the pants, pay double the price and be ten times as happy with my decision.  I don’t usually buy the most expensive pants on the site. I try to stick to the sale page and buy wools from 100 to 130. I’ve been onboard for 4 years have about 8 pairs now and I’ve never had to retire a pair of pants.  If the pants fit you like they should, when other brands don’t; it is worth the extra price.  

  33. George Christopher Metz says

    May 8, 2012 at 9:19 AM

    My advice, stay away until they work out the issues.  $90 a pop for a pair of jeans is a bit much to pay when they have quality control issues and will do nothing to help you out if you gamble and loose.  Here is my recent experience I would like to share:

       I purchased a pair of pants last year, one of over 10 pair that I own now of theirs and in January, the stitching on the back ripped 4 – 5 inches for no reason around the pocket.  I contacted their customer service dept and below is our exchange.  It is very disappointing to say the least.

        This thread is between myself and customer service reps named Nick and Cole.  Everything is unedited except for my email address and name, you may need to scroll to the bottom to properly follow:

        —– Forwarded Message —–
        From: Christopher
        To: Nick Stanton
        Sent: Sunday, May 6, 2012 2:27 PM
        Subject: Re: Thanks for the Feedback!
        Nick,
          So your saying that this is a known issue and you received a defective batch of pants in from your manufacture and sold them.  Now customers are having issues and you guys are just saying “Sorry about wasting your $88?”.  Come on man, I have been your guys number one fan backing that up not only with buying your products but also sending my friends your fliers and telling everyone how cool your stuff is but that’s horrible customer service.  I will not be buying anything else and will be passing this along.
            Really disappointed,
             George 

        Sent from my iPhone 4s

        On May 6, 2012, at 11:55 AM, ‘Nick Stanton’ wrote:

    >     __________________________________
    >
    >     Hey George,
    >
    >     We definitely had that problem with a batch of chinos we got in about six months ago and have since addressed the manufacturing issue. Thank you for taking the time to write us and give us your feedback.
    >
    >     If you want to give Bonobos another shot, you can use the code ‘martini’ to get twenty percent off your next order. Again, our sincerest apologies for the defective pants. I’d also like to send you a shirt on the house (hey if the pants aren’t doin’ it for you maybe the tops will). Would you be interested in a polo or oxford?
    >
    >     Just let us know what works best for you.
    >
    >     Cheers,
    >
    >     Nick
    >     http://www.bonobos.com
    >     ninjas: 877.294.7737
    >     twitter: @bonobosninjas
    >     We’d love to hear how you’d rate our response:
    >     Great! Fast, friendly & helpful. You guys are amazing!
    >     Ok. Everything was fine, but nothing to write home about.
    >     Not good… You guys have some things to work on…

    >     MAY 06, 2012  |  02:25PM UTC
    >     Cole,
    >
    >
    >     Good to hear but I have looked and it is the same build quality across all the 9 pairs of bonobo pants I own that are like this. I am not sure I will be buying again after this experience. Too much money got spend to worry about this. I didn’t do anything, didn’t catch my pants on something, or sit on anything sharp. They just split next to the pocket about 4 inches.
    >
    >     Thank you,
    >
    >     George
    >
    >     Sent from my iPad 3
    >
    >     On Apr 10, 2012, at 6:26 PM, ‘Cole’ wrote:
    >
    >     >
    >
    >     Hi Chris,
    >
    >     I just wanted to reach out and say thanks for the feedback on our March survey. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the anti-rip capabilities of some of our pants. As a growing apparel brand quality control is important to us and I will be passing your input along to our product team.
    >
    >     It might also interest you to know that we opened an office in Hong Kong this past month, and their primary focus will be quality control and fit consistency. We are hoping this will not only allow us to improve the consistency of fit for our clothing from line to line, but also ensure an overall higher level of quality in the clothes moving forward.
    >
    >     If you have any questions or more feedback feel free to reach out to us again.
    >
    >     Thanks again, and have a great day!
    >
    >     Cole S.
    >     Have a good one!
    >
    >     Cole
    >     http://www.bonobos.com
    >     ninjas: 877.294.7737
    >     twitter: @bonobosninjas
    >     Support powered by Ninjas
     

  34. Guest says

    June 18, 2012 at 11:27 AM

    The have $50 Off $100 purchase until 06/25/2012.  Use code: BRP637XBR
    Cheers!

  35. Addison says

    July 23, 2012 at 11:38 PM

    Well, they admit that they had a bad batch, but it honestly doesn’t sound like something that endangers the pants in any way, and would be solved with some fairly elementary sewing. You could always ask to do a return, seeing as they offer unconditional returns. You also got the chance to get one of their very nice, and very expensive, oxfords (MUSA, too). I wouldn’t be complaining too much.

  36. Kris says

    September 5, 2012 at 9:26 PM

    Click http://bono.bs/x/60tui to get $25 off your first order!

  37. Guest says

    September 10, 2012 at 7:10 AM

    My purchase date did not coincide with the date of which they said that they had a bad batch and furthermore, I did request an exchange and I was told no.

  38. George Christopher Metz says

    September 10, 2012 at 7:12 AM

    I am not sure where this comes from. I am currently wearing a Bonobos shirt and have 10+ pairs of pants from them. None of which are made in the US. (I just checked my tags on the shirt but checked the tags of the pants before)

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