The appeal is obvious. For one thing, there is the air of exclusivity, since sales visits are by appointment only. And then, of course, there is nothing like being the center of attention:
Notes Swartz, "If it doesn't look good, we say, `We can do better.'" That's much less ego-deflating than, "Oh my, that just makes your butt look big." Or dead silence from a sales clerk who doesn't care if your butt looks big and simply wants to ring up a sale."Also, because we know our customers, we know if someone has bought a certain item and we can tell them not to buy it," says Shulman. That way customers won't see each other wearing the same article of clothing at a social function. The horror.
The best salespeople in apparel sell you a pair of pants, a shirt, a belt and a pair of shoes when all you wanted in the first place was a pair of pants. The intimate setting is perfect for this kind of upselling:
"We also do wardrobing. Here, you don't just buy a skirt and bring it home to your closet and see what it matches. You can do that, but what we really do is work with people making the most use of the clothing.... They can purchase eight pieces of clothing and come up with 20 outfits they can wear...Also, everything is in one room so it doesn't take long to build a wardrobe."
What surprises me is that more retailers do not offer this kind of service in their stores. Here's an idea, why not pick your slowest sales day (a Sunday or Monday, for example) and make the store open by invitation only. Invite your best customers and pamper them with one-on-one shopping.
Our society today is so affluent, people rarely shop because they need to. People shop because they want to. We shop to fulfill deep psychological needs. We shop because we are bored. Or because we are lonely or depressed. Or because we are seeking validation. The smart retailer understands that she is not just selling merchandise, she if fulfilling a profound social craving in each of her customers.
<< Home