In the realm of luxury, traditional exclusivity is no longer sufficient to captivate VICs (Very Important Clients). With current market growth facing a slowdown, engaging this elite segment is more essential than ever to drive revenue. Since VICs belong to the top 1% of earners, their spending power remains resilient against global uncertainties. Elite customers seek highly individualized experiences that go beyond the superficial and resonate with their personal identity. Tailored experiences need to cater to their distinct lifestyles, preferences, and values. Personalization allows luxury Maisons to foster deeper connections, offering VICs not just material goods but experiences that reflect their status, desires, and even their values. Courting VICs has become a strategic focus for many Maisons, but with intensified competition, luxury Maison's must adopt more sophisticated approaches.
Why Tailored Experiences are Vital for VICs
VICs are accustomed to standard luxury offerings such as gifts and exclusive events, as they engage with multiple Maisons. To truly stand out, Maisons must consistently innovate, providing 'money-can't-buy' experiences that go beyond the usual perks. These highly personalized, unexpected experiences must resonate deeply with their identity, values, and lifestyle—creating moments they’ll eagerly share with their inner circle. By continuously surprising and delighting VICs, Maisons can build long-term loyalty and maintain a competitive edge.
Key Examples of Tailored Luxury Experiences
- Exclusive Access to Events
Mytheresa offered its VICs an intimate celebration of Brunello Cucinelli’s birthday alongside the designer and his family. In the serene setting of Umbria, guests enjoyed a private dinner, mingling with celebrities and industry insiders. The night left them with a sense of belonging to an exclusive inner circle, capped off with personalized gifts like flower arrangements and framed memories of the evening.
- Customized Products and Services
At Hermès, VICs are guided through the creation of their own bespoke pieces in the "Le Sur Mesure" workshop. Imagine working with artisans to design a one-of-a-kind Special Order Quota bag that reflects your individual style, turning luxury into a deeply personal experience. Likewise, Bentley allowed 12 VICs to co-create unique Mulliner Bacalars, ensuring each car reflected their personal vision through custom finishes and exclusive materials.
- One-on-One Experiences
Patek Philippe offered more than a tour of its Geneva Salon—VICs enjoyed private interactions with top executives, gaining insider knowledge and a deeper connection to the brand’s heritage. The experience was personalized, intimate, and a rare chance to engage directly with those shaping the future of the brand. - Building a Highly Exclusive Community
The Rolls-Royce Whisper App connects VICs to curated, "money-can't-buy" experiences. From exclusive expeditions to Antarctica to designing a private racetrack, the app offers access to experiences that go beyond luxury, enabling clients to share their elite lifestyle with a select community. This personalized service strengthens their connection to the brand and enhances their sense of exclusivity.
Key Recommendations for Tailoring Luxury Experiences for VICs
- Identifying VICs
Accurately identifying VICs starts with the right tools and training. Invest in advanced CRM systems and data-driven segmentation to pinpoint your top clients based on purchasing behavior, preferences, and engagement. Equip your sales associates with the necessary skills for clienteling and personalized service, ensuring they can recognize and cater to VICs effectively. A curated approach with dedicated VIC managers and specialized SAs will help focus on nurturing these key relationships.
- Define and Formalize a VIC Strategy
Activate your VICs by developing a clear and formalized strategy. Begin by benchmarking industry best practices to refine your approach. Create a VIC playbook with templates and processes that ensure consistent execution across all touchpoints. This will guide your team in delivering high-value, personalized experiences for VICs and allow for scalability.
- Activate VICs through Exclusive, Cross-Brand Event Experiences
Offer your VICs highly exclusive, tailored experiences that go beyond product offerings. Develop an event catalogue that includes both your brand’s and sister Maison’s events, from masterclasses to bespoke "money-can’t-buy" experiences like manufacture visits. Facilitating cross-brand experiences adds value and strengthens the emotional connection between VICs and your entire brand ecosystem. - Emphasize Emotional Connections to Build Relationship
Build strong, long-lasting relationships by tapping into the emotional dimensions of luxury. Recognize that VICs often associate luxury products with life milestones—watches that celebrate family legacies or mark personal achievements, such as marriages or career success. Personalize your messaging and offerings to reflect these significant moments, deepening emotional ties and fostering loyalty. - Train Your Team for Personalized Engagement
Continued relationship-building hinges on the ability of your sales associates to deliver personalized, ongoing engagement. Beyond technology, empower them with advanced clienteling techniques to maintain meaningful one-on-one interactions with VICs. This will ensure that every touchpoint, from product purchases to follow-up events, feels personal and thoughtful, reinforcing the sense of exclusivity and importance.
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Feel free to contact our experts for any question:
Ravouth Keuky
Ravouth is a digital transformation expert specialized in luxury retail sector and airline industry. He is the global account executive for Deloitte of two major iconic brands. He brought Deloitte Digital (one of Deloitte Consulting’s offerings) to success in France, and he is currently leading the French Practice, with teams both located in Paris and Casablanca. Ravouth spent the first 10 years of his career in the telecom industry where he embraces the major tech disruption around mobile/fixed broadband (2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, DSL, Fibre,…). For the past 10 years, he has been advising CxOs, and especially CDOs (Chief Digital Officers) of Fortune 100 companies, on their digital transformation (from strategy to implementation). In terms of thought leadership, Ravouth has contributed to research on digital transformation, like “Leading Digital” best-seller book (www.leadingdigitalbook.com). He is also a regular invited speaker on corporate events, tech conference around digital transformation.
Ambroise Rezeau
Ambroise has 9 years of experience, starting his career in operation within an automotive Tier 1 Supplier where he managed several International projects. Since joining Deloitte, he has a good understanding of organization transformation thanks to experiences in different industries (Luxury, Automotive, IT, Service) and different countries (France, Japan, Singapore). Ambroise conducted several projects designing and reviewing customer strategy for Luxury Groups (Dior Couture, Richemont), gaining significant knowledge on Consumer & Premium Retail industry. Ambroise covered an important part of Marketing and Client value chain from strategic & top line growth, Organization transformation and Operating Model design, Customer Experience Operational excellence, Pricing, Marketing activation & Salesforce projects roll-out, M&A
Agathe Flament
Agathe various academic and professional experiences in marketing have cultivated her interest in digital and customer experience. She conducted several projects for high-end fashion and watchmaking houses on client experience, activation strategy, operating model… which led her to develop an expertise on the luxury industry. Agathe has forged a strong international mindset as she daily collaborate with international teams and spent +6 years working and studying across Spain, the UK, Hong Kong and Australia