Wolford, located at the top end of Collins Street in Melbourne, is a hosiery and luxury knitted outerwear brand. I shopped there for the first time earlier this year after something in the window caught my eye.
I would like to share my first experience with their lovely in-store service and contrast this against the experience I had from Wolford online.
In-Store Experience
I was greeted by a staff member that just wowed me with her super friendly service. Her courteous, informative and extremely attentive manner made my shopping experience an enjoyable one. On my way out I told her how happy I was to have shopped at Wolford, and that I hoped to be back soon.
Online Experience
After such a positive in-store experience, I assumed the post-sale service would be such as good. For example, I thought I would receive a polite email marketing message (because it was my first purchase, and I had also signed up to Wolford’s email newsletter).
Mistake #1: Within the first two weeks of my initial purchase, I received a total of 7 emails (yikes!). Now those who know me understand I’m an advocate of quality over quantity; I’m happy to receive communication – on the condition it provides value. Unfortunately, the majority of these emails were over ‘salesy’, followed a generic format, and were long – so much so that I exhausted myself via “thumb fatigue” after trying to scroll through the entire contents of each email on my mobile.
In short, Wolford’s emails were completely irrelevant and didn’t connect with me in any way.
Mistake #2: As a new customer, I visited their website soon after the first in-store experience to find out more about the brand.
For an international brand, I was shocked to find completely outdated material and videos on their site (most of which were broken links).
Mistake #3: I had to chase them up three times to make sure they received my feedback which I sent in an email. Before writing this blog post I gave them the benefit of the doubt and shared with them my lovely in-store experience and suggestions of how I would improve their online experience – no one ever got back to me.
How I’d Improve Wolford’s Online Touchpoints
As a digital consultant, I use this as an example of what ‘not to do’ with my clients because it tarnishes the experience and image of the brand – something that is very hard to regain once it’s in the customer’s mind.
Here is a list of initiatives I’d use to improve Wolford’s marketing and customer touch points:
Tip #1: Know Your Customer
Knowing your customer is a lot easier said than done, but with a basic CRM (Customer Relationship Management system), information about a customer can be recorded at the store level, especially if the customer (like me) expresses how interested they are in your brand. Depending on the customer’s buying cycle, you can tailor the communication you send to them. For example, if I’ve expressed a genuine interest in your brand, send an email with specific details and unique things about your products/service that would help your customers frustrations. A generic sales email isn’t a good start in developing and cultivating a relationship.
Tip #2: Provide a Follow-up Service
I have to admit, I was expecting some sort of follow-up service, not because I bought from Wolford, but because they are high-end and had a very classy in-store experience.
If you are in the business of “wowing” your customers with a service that will blow your competitors away – you must have a follow-up service. It can be as simple as a handwritten note, a personal email, or even sending a small gift to customers for their birthdays! This would have made me notice and talk more about my experience with Wolford with my friends and family.
Tip #3: Ask Your customers questions – survey them
I’m not a fan of frequent and lengthy surveys, but as a first-time buyer, it would be nice (while the brand and experience are still fresh in my mind, and my emotions are high) to ask me about my visit to Wolford. Feedback like this is priceless and easy to obtain.
Over To You:
I’d love to hear from you (my readers) if you have experienced something similar with other brands.
If so, did you have a fantastic in-store experience only to have that ruined by a disappointing online experience? Or vice versa?
P.S If your business is struggling to understand how to better engage with your customers, or if you want to improve your touch points, feel free to send me an email. I’d be happy suggest ways to improve your engagement with your customers as well as suggesting things you could do differently to “wow” your customers.
