Clienteling 2.0 - Providing Luxury Customer Experience

The pandemic drove many purchases online. For luxury products and services, these purchases are often emotionally driven, making it difficult for luxury segment consumers to be selective about high-value online transactions.

However, in Paris and much of Europe, luxury boutiques no longer see foot traffic as a concern. Behind the shuttered facades at successful brands, sales associates have been busy meeting individual customers who booked appointments.

This is legal under lockdown rules. Sales staff are giving their usual expert advice—but these days it's delivered via video or chat while fulfilling orders or connecting with clients seeking style advice.

Key Takeaways: Why Luxury Brands Must Prioritize Customer Experience

• Digital Clienteling Drives Revenue: Luxury retail clienteling works as a powerful revenue driver. For some brands, this human-led sales channel now generates more revenue than e-commerce, with one BSPK client reporting it drives half of all sales.

• The Digital-Human Paradox: While 80% of luxury customer journeys begin digitally, 90% of high-value transactions happen with a salesperson. Customers seek exceptional experiences that blend technology with personalized attention.

• Measurable ROI: BCG reports that brands implementing clienteling 2.0 boosted sales by 10-15%. During lockdown, 92% of remote shoppers at one BSPK-powered boutique made purchases thanks to proactive engagement.

• Relationships Over Transactions: Success in luxury clienteling requires building genuine relationships. Associates become trusted advisors who provide concierge service and make clients feel special through exclusive services.

• Employee Ingenuity Matters: Staff empowerment and employee ingenuity are key to service excellence. The best experiences come from associates who can anticipate needs and deliver unparalleled service with genuine care.

What is Clienteling 2.0? Transforming Luxury Brands Through Personalization

It's known as clienteling, or clienteling 2.0, and is an essential driver of revenue from in-boutique sales, as well as from appointments and distance sales. In this fast-paced sales environment, luxury brands must adapt to meet evolving customer expectations.

For some brands, this human-led sales channel now generates more revenue than e-commerce. For one of BSPK's clients, it is now driving half of all sales—a testament to how effective luxury retail clienteling can be when executed properly.

This massive shift to digital clienteling highlights an interesting paradox that was emerging in luxury retail pre-COVID. While 80 percent of customer journeys began digitally, 90 percent of high-value transactions occurred with a salesperson.

Clienteling combines digital technology with the human touch to create experiences that make customers feel special. The luxury customer expects nothing less than personalized attention at every touchpoint.

Industry Experts on Luxury Customer Experience and Events

The evolution of the “selling ceremony” is indispensable to meet the new demands of young luxury customers, according to retail expert Nicolas Rebet, a specialist of in-store client experience and founder of Retailoscope. They need to “feel it, see it and share it with friends. Then starts the ballet of four players; the client, the friends, the product and the sales associate.” Advanced clienteling can bring this to life outside the walls of the boutique.

The Heritage of Brands: From Traditional to Digital Customer Care

High-touch client servicing has existed since the dawn of luxury. Imagine the service Louis Vuitton provided to his first customer, Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, as he began building a business based on a little black book of VIPs.

Clienteling 2.0, in contrast, is digital, human, and inclusive, not exclusive. This is mission-critical today, as luxury segment consumers are selective and demand a direct, meaningful relationship with the companies they buy from.

In our new era of omnichannel, where customers engage with a brand across multiple channels, it's the associate who builds the human relationship between the customer and the brand. The focus on care and support creates lasting industry relationships.

Measurable Success: How Luxury Brands Achieve Service Excellence

Management consultants recommend it: BCG reports that brands that implemented clienteling 2.0 boosted sales by 10-15%. These results demonstrate how luxury retail clienteling works in practice.

The conversion rates speak for themselves. Ninety-two percent of remote shoppers at one boutique, which uses BSPK, purchased during the first lockdown, thanks to proactive engagement by the brand's clienteling team, who checked in with customers.

This success comes from staff who understand that in a fast-paced sales environment, personalization and genuine care make all the difference. Employee ingenuity transforms ordinary interactions into memorable experiences.

Building the Ultimate Customer Experience Through Personalization

However, covering the emotional heavy lifting for a brand requires skill. Like the old-school model, clienteling 2.0 involves remembering where customers said they want to go on vacation and why they purchased a particular item.

It means sending invitations to special events and providing concierge services that make each luxury customer feel valued. This level of personalized attention builds the relationships that drive long-term success.

But now it can mean chatting all day on WhatsApp if that's what the customer wants. It involves remembering to set aside limited-edition items for customers before they even know they want them.

Associates model or video items for customers before the items go live online, and become a customer's very own stylist by curating personal lookbooks. In essence, it's acting as a best friend to potentially hundreds of customers seeking exceptional experiences.

Creative Events and Exclusive Services That Delight Luxury Brands' Customers

Brands are developing new ways to inspire and engage existing clients and prospects. Limited edition items, for example, have proved "a fantastic opportunity" to contact a client, according to Laurent Grosgogeat, executive vice-president, Cerruti 1881.

He says anything collectible is popular in watches, bags, or jewelry. These exclusive services and special events create opportunities for staff to deliver unparalleled service and strengthen relationships.

The industry has learned that offering exclusive access and personalized attention during events helps the luxury segment consumers feel valued and appreciated, and that they are selective about where they shop.

What True Luxury Customer Experience Is NOT

Equally important is to explain what clienteling 2.0 is not. Despite the name, it is not a Customer Relationship Manager, or CRM, with a one-size-fits-all strategy.

It is not about HQ setting quotas for how many messages associates should send each day. For example, some famous brands require associates to contact 70 customers a day—this approach undermines genuine care and support.

It is not about sending automated emails that go unopened or asking customers to complete surveys. These tactics may work for the mass market, but will not win the trust of the luxury customer who expects service excellence.

The Future of Luxury Brands: Putting Customer Experience First

The good news is that the pandemic highlighted for all brands just how much we all crave human connection. This is why clienteling 2.0 is now a must-have, not a nice-to-have, for luxury brands.

This puts the spotlight back on brands' greatest asset: their associates. Staff who deliver personalized attention and make customers feel special are the foundation of success in luxury clienteling.

It's a great time to be a luxury customer and an exciting opportunity for store associates. While the in-store experience will always matter, associates no longer have to wait for customers to come through their physical doors to do their best work.

How BSPK Clienteling Unified Commerce AI Can Help

BSPK is an advanced unified commerce AI platform explicitly designed for luxury brands seeking to deliver unparalleled service and exceptional experiences. Our solution connects online and in-store retail, enabling your staff to provide the personalization that makes customers feel special.

Seamless Messaging Hub: Connect with clients across SMS, WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Email, and more—all in one place. This enables the kind of concierge service that luxury retail clienteling is best suited to, allowing associates to build genuine relationships.

360° Client Profiles: Capture preferences, journeys, interests, purchase history, wishlists, and more. This comprehensive view supports employee ingenuity by providing the insights staff need for true personalization and attention.

Client Ideabook: Share curated product ideas with private, branded URLs. This luxury digital lookbook helps associates deliver the exclusive services and experiences that make luxury segment consumers feel valued and selective in their shopping choices.

Advanced Analytics: Track engagement, sales impact, and team performance across stores and regions. Measure success and identify opportunities to improve the luxury customer experience in your fast-paced sales environment.

Effortless Integration: Sync clients, sales history, and product data from POS, Shopify, or enterprise CRM. Our platform provides the support your industry needs to achieve service excellence and build lasting relationships.

With BSPK, your associates can deliver the care and personalized attention that today's luxury customer demands. Our platform empowers staff to create the experiences that drive success and help customers feel special at every touchpoint.

Frequently Asked Questions About Luxury Customer Experience

Q: What is the difference between traditional clienteling and Clienteling 2.0?

A: Traditional clienteling relied on in-person interactions and physical "black books" of client information. Clienteling 2.0 is digital, human, and inclusive—it combines technology with personalized attention to create experiences across all channels. This modern approach enables staff to deliver concierge service and make customers feel special, whether in-store or online.

Q: How does luxury retail clienteling work to increase sales?

A: Luxury retail clienteling works by building genuine relationships between associates and customers through personalization. When customers receive personalized attention and exclusive services, they develop loyalty to both the brand and their personal associate. BCG research shows this approach boosts sales by 10-15%, with BSPK clients seeing even higher conversion rates through proactive engagement.

Q: Why are luxury segment consumers selective about where they shop?

A: Luxury segment consumers are selective because they seek exceptional experiences that justify premium pricing. They expect unparalleled service, employee ingenuity, and genuine care at every touchpoint. These customers value relationships over transactions and want to feel special when engaging with luxury brands. Service excellence and personalized attention are non-negotiable expectations.

Q: How can brands maintain a luxury customer experience in a digital or fast-paced sales environment?

A: Success in a fast-paced sales environment requires the right tools and empowered staff. Platforms like BSPK enable associates to deliver the same level of personalized attention digitally that they would in person. The key is supporting employee ingenuity with technology that facilitates genuine relationships rather than replacing human connection with automation.

Q: What role do events and exclusive services play in luxury clienteling?

A: Events and exclusive services are powerful tools for building relationships and creating memorable experiences. Limited-edition releases, private viewings, and special events give associates reasons to reach out for personalized attention. These touchpoints help customers feel special and demonstrate the care that defines service excellence in the luxury industry.

Transform Your Luxury Customer Experience Today

The future of luxury retail belongs to brands that prioritize genuine relationships, personalization, and experiences that make every customer feel special. In this fast-paced sales environment, success depends on empowering your staff with the tools they need to deliver service excellence.

BSPK helps luxury brands transform their customer experience through unified commerce AI. Our platform enables your associates to build the relationships that drive success and provide the support and care that today's luxury customer demands.

Ready to see how BSPK can help your brand deliver unparalleled service and exclusive experiences? Request a demo today and discover how luxury retail clienteling works with the right technology partner.