But curbside drop off and pick up doesn’t mean just depositing a shopping bag in a trunk and moving on. According to Charles Anderson, Bloomingdale’s director of stores, plenty of finesse is needed.
“You have to be cautious and careful and attuned to how much or how little interaction” customers are looking for, Anderson said. “If they pop open the trunk, then place it in the trunk and say thank you and move on. If they’re looking to make eye contact and all of that good stuff, then let’s make their day.”
Years of luxury dogma might have evaporated in a matter of weeks when Covid-19 broke loose, but high-end brands retain some advantages, namely low-traffic stores and buyers with plenty of disposable income. They’re also better positioned to invest in technology that could potentially save and build customer relationships, said Hadar Paz, chief executive officer of Powerfront, which created the retail-friendly video platform known as Inside.
But even when new software isn’t yet part of the plan, brands are still making an effort to preserve the glamour. In the Hamptons, luxury shoe retailer Jimmy Choo is visiting customers’ homes with vans of exclusive merchandise to flaunt. Jimmy Choo and others are also indulging newly agoraphobic patrons with one-on-one, appointment-only shopping slots. As Anderson from Bloomingdale’s put it, its customers are craving “a very human moment” more than ever.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.