Tag: Luxury Retail

Brand, Customer Service, Fashion

Do You Expect the Same Level of Service Shopping a Luxury Brand Online as You Do in the Store?

by Victoria Macdonald3 Comments on Do You Expect the Same Level of Service Shopping a Luxury Brand Online as You Do in the Store?

BalenciaBagIn an article originally written for Retail Week, Martin Newman complains that he does not receive the same level of luxury service when purchasing an expensive Balenciaga handbag online as he would in the store. To be clear, Mr. Newman purchased the bag through fashion etailer Matches Fashion, which guaranteed him next-day delivery within a three-hour window. Mr. Newman wanted the handbag to be delivered within a one-hour window and felt he should be accommodated considering the price he was paying for the handbag. (I’m not sure who quickly he’d have received the bag if he’d purchased it at www.balenciaga.com directly.)

What are your thoughts? Do you feel you receive better service from a luxury brand when you visit the physical store than when you buy online? Please add your comments below.

Brand, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Helping Customers Envision

Flip Your Approach to Selling by Thinking About the Outcome First

by Victoria MacdonaldLeave a Comment on Flip Your Approach to Selling by Thinking About the Outcome First

flipIn my recent blog post “Ditch the Pitch,” I talked about eliminating the prescribed sales script in favor of critical thinking. Not every sales situation can be addressed with a script. Sales associates who can think quickly on their feet will be able to handle unexpected obstacles with grace and elegance, solve problems quickly, and provide a richer customer experience.

With that in mind, I just finished reading an HBR blog post by Joe Panepinto where he says:

Too many companies are still trying to create thick manuals that lay out every possible scenario and a corresponding brand-appropriate response — an “if they do this, you do that” kind of approach. Very reactive.

Continue reading “Flip Your Approach to Selling by Thinking About the Outcome First” →

Brand, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Fashion

Make sure your online customers are happy before you try to wow them.

by Victoria MacdonaldLeave a Comment on Make sure your online customers are happy before you try to wow them.

online_shoppingIn Michiel Gasterlaand’s article “The Secret to Winning the Customer Service Battle in eCommerce” in Entrepeneur, he states that only 1% of web store customers feel their expectations are being met. Web stores are missing the opportunity to differentiate themselves through customer service. Gasterlaand writes:

Whether they realize it or not, web stores now are competing primarily on customer service. Apart from offering a great product for a great price, customer service clearly is the new battleground.

Continue reading “Make sure your online customers are happy before you try to wow them.” →