Part 1: The Customer Experience
Luxury shoppers are different. Besides having more purchasing power, they have higher expectations. When shopping, they are looking for quality, craftsmanship and authenticity, with exclusiveness or unique product characteristics a compelling “plus”. And they expect exceptional levels of customer service. Disappoint this crowd, and you lose revenues, brand loyalty and even credibility.
It is no longer enough to deliver a pleasing shopper experience within the four walls of your retail store. You have to deliver across channels.
Today’s affluent consumers are digitally smart and almost constantly wired, averaging 41.6 hours a week online. Buyers with a net worth of one million or more, our affluent consumer segment, own an average of 3.1 internet devices—smart phone, tablet and laptop—and they conduct their pre-purchase research across screens.
As dedicated multi-screen shoppers, they rely on the internet more than any other medium (television, newspapers, magazines) to evaluate products and brand offerings before buying. And when they visit your website, they expect to find the full 360-degree selection of merchandise you carry in your physical store. In fact, luxury buyers do not see separate “channels”. They see only the brand, and their buying experience with that brand.
To engage this sophisticated, upscale consumer requires full integration of all selling channels so that your customers can easily shop, purchase, pickup and return goods using any channel they choose.
To deliver on the expectation of a satisfying “any channel/all channel” customer experience, you must know the availability of every product—each designer shoe or famous label blouse associated with your brand. Is it in the store? The distribution center? Or somewhere in the supply chain? You need accurate inventory visibility across the spectrum of your operation. That’s why some of the most prestigious stores in the world are adding RFID as a strategic technology tool. RFID enables you to see where each item is at any time, in real time with 99+ percent accuracy. Now, you can easily locate that specific Jimmy Cho boot a customer found online but wants to pick up in-store. With RFID, your showroom operates effectively as both a sales channel and as a distribution center.
For today’s luxury consumers, Omni-channel is an expectation. As a retailer, Omni-Channel is not an option, it’s a competitive must. Your only option is to create the most positive brand experience possible.
Only RFID enables you to serve each of your customers as they individually choose.
With the internet playing such a significant role in the luxury shopper’s path to purchase, there is an opportunity for you to increase your sales by combining a strong online presence with superior fulfillment of your brand promise. To create the “superior” brand experience that 64% of the affluent segment say they are seeking, you need item-level RFID.
Our nest posting will explore the business case for RFID and high fashion retail. Until then, for more information, contact success@truecount.com or visit www.truecount.com.