During the "Customer Experience in the Luxury Sector" conference, Nathalie Celia (Bucherer), Elise Ducret (L’Oréal), and Nicolas Rebet (Retailoscope) revealed the challenges their sector faces due to the transformation of customer expectations and technology.
The Customer Experience as a Means of Conveying Stories
In the luxury sector, offering an exceptional customer experience goes far beyond the mere transaction. Customers visiting the stores seek to be immersed in the product's story. Therefore, salespeople become storytellers, responsible for sharing the brand and product narrative.
Two key phenomena emerge: the ultra-luxury segment, often represented by pop-up stores or private experiences, and the democratization of luxury, particularly noticeable in prestigious areas like the Champs-Élysées, where the experience becomes more accessible. The goal is to capture and retain customer attention by offering a unique and memorable experience through service, engaging the senses and emotions.
Luxury as a Means of Personal Enrichment
The customer experience in luxury should provide a sense of personal enrichment through personalized, even intimate, care (omni one-to-one). Every client, regardless of their budget, must feel valued. This begins with the storytelling experience, which is crucial: each store tells a unique story, like those of Chanel, Aesop, or Cartier. Additionally, surprising and moving customers by engaging their five senses allows exceeding their expectations. Then comes the personalization according to interests, including the privatization of spaces or unique experiences, like a dinner at the Tower of London or an apartment of Chaumet at Place Vendôme. F
inally, luxury aims to create a community by going beyond the simple customer-brand relationship to establish lasting bonds.
The New Codes of Hospitality in Luxury
The in-store welcome evolves to encourage human interactions, put customers at ease, and stimulate exchanges. Current trends include setting up friendly spaces like sofas and armchairs to promote conversation. Salespeople adopt a more humane and empathetic approach, moving away from "checklist" tasks. Integrated hospitality offers complementary services such as in-store restaurants or collaborations with chefs.
In this context, team training and engagement are key success factors.
Luxury and Technology: An Alliance to Enrich the Experience
Technology plays an increasingly important role in enriching the customer experience in luxury, but it must be used subtly to not break the human connection. For example, L'Oréal offers personalized diagnostics in stores through beauty tech tools. Additionally, Hermès Parfum pop-up stores offer immersive digital experiences, including interactive videos and creative workshops led by illustrators.
The goal is to amaze the customer while maintaining a dynamic of exchange and sharing.
The Challenges of Luxury Faced with New Customer Behaviors
Today's customers, especially younger generations, are often well-informed before entering a store. The challenge for salespeople is to provide added value in terms of expertise and experience. To meet this challenge, it is crucial to train teams to cater to diverse customer profiles and continuously renew the offer through exclusive collaborations and unique experiences. This helps to retain customers and encourage them to return.
Humans as a main pilar
Despite the increasing integration of technology, the human element remains the fundamental pillar of the customer experience in luxury. Providing quality service goes beyond the mere transaction. Teams must be valued and trained to become the brand's primary ambassadors. Offering personalized customer journeys and special attention makes every store visit a memorable experience.