You may already be familiar with the definition of clienteling and how customer preferences can drive personalization. Are you putting it into practice? Here are a few examples we have seen in the marketplace.
Department store Vitkac in Warsaw has always been a champion in providing the best in-house experiences. From a skateboarding half-pipe to free childcare, the department store has consistently found creative ways to improve the customer experience. The pandemic only expedited the company’s focus on innovativeness and creativity.
The company realized early on that store of the future will serve as a hub for e-commerce orders and fulfillment. As a result, their initiatives have turned to consistently improving the omnichannel capabilities of their storefronts. Among their first additions following the onset of the global pandemic included converting an entire floor into a call center, where employees could help customers browse virtually through calls.
Elena Miro, an international plus-size fashion house, expects future in-store traffic to be reduced by over 60%. Social-distancing mandates may limit the number of customers in-store at one time. So, the company has taken the opportunity to revamp the functionality of its storefronts, automate associate workflows, and integrate more seamlessly with online orders and fulfillments to give the customer a better shopping experience. Associates manage appointment bookings, BOPIS/BORIS orders, and have more personal interactions with their customers.
Universal Standard and CUUP are defining the new relationship between the customer and the associate. Universal Standard has transitioned its workforce to its virtual styling platform. And underwear brand, CUUP, has had success in its video conference bra fitting services, since its launch in 2020. Instead of interacting with customers in-store, associates are now evolving to work together with technology. As their stores reopen, can the two brands optimize the storefronts to work in tandem with their online channels?
Clienteling, VIP services, and cross-channel consultancy should not be beyond the reach of any retailer that wants to build a better customer experience, especially during challenging times for the retail industry. While most retail software companies on the market take a very long time to execute such comprehensive implementations, X/Y Retail has the ability to implement changes on demand, which translates into rapid integrations and migrations. The XY system is built with the best of breed and standards-based underlying cloud technologies available in the market today. We make an effort to follow new developments in the industry.
Sources:
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/what-will-stores-look-like-when-they-reopen
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/what-will-stores-look-like-when-they-reopen