The Institute of Customer Services were recently in conversation with BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours. The consumer affairs programme was discussing some new research which reveals the cost of ‘poor service in retail’. The report, from international research consultancy Forsta, suggests that 80% of UK consumers abandon their in-store shopping trips due to poor customer service.
It's a shocking indictment of the state of some retail experiences today but Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, says we shouldn’t be surprised. They conduct the UK’s annual CSI (consumer satisfaction index) and it’s currently at a 14-year low!
All this got us talking here in the design studio about our own personal shopping experiences and comparing them to the incredible customer service that our Luxury Retail clients provide to their customers.
So, in this blog post we’re recommending a few key strategies from luxury retail that should inform other retail sectors as they compete for footfall and try to improve customer satisfaction levels in their physical stores.
Put customers first:
Our luxury jewellery and watch clients really know their customers and place them at the heart of their businesses. Because of their daily face-to-face interactions with customers, they know exactly what attracts them into store and the expectations they bring with them. Therefore, their service strategy centres around the needs of their customers and remains dynamic and responsive.
Recommendation: Conduct and act on customer research. If you’re awash with customer insights, find manageable processes to regularly review, listen, capture, and importantly respond to customer feedback to improve service delivery.
Express clear brand stories:
Our clients are among the most successful independent jewellery and watch retailers in the UK, each one with their own unique brand story. And it’s these brand stories that not only interest and engage their customers but also inspire and motivate their staff. That’s why we help our clients develop brand spaces that not only express the brand narrative but deepen it. Through the materiality and fine detail of a store design together with other unique storytelling elements, we can build on the brand experience for their customers.
Recommendation: Identify unique brand stories that differentiate you from your competition and educate all staff about them, from frontline teams to back-office support. Then, work together with staff to find engaging ways to express these stories throughout the store space, across digital channels and all customer service touchpoints.

Invest in the physical store:
Physical stores remain critical in the ‘phygital’ retail mix for the luxury sector. They are essential spaces for their customers to relax and indulge in a truly personal and skilled service. Customers can get close to the products they desire and physically immerse themselves in the best that the retailer has to offer. Therefore, the interior design of luxury retail stores aims to perfectly align with the retailer’s brand identity to provide vital physical brand ‘experiences’ that resonate with their target audience.
Recommendation: Understand that your physical store space matters! So, explore what a great instore experience looks like for your target market. Put yourself in their shoes, walking your store from shop front and throughout its interior. Be critical about lighting, display, service desks, flooring, VM and customer flows. Then, if you can’t invest in full-scale refurbishment, trial, and measure the results of iterative development before rolling-out new ideas.
Develop interactive experiences:
The sales process for luxury jewellery & watch retailers is, by the nature of its products, naturally interactive. Touching, feeling, and wearing a piece of jewellery or a Swiss watch is the best (and probably the only) way to know if something is right for their customers. Our aim as designers is to support this process through beautifully curated displays, comfortable consultation spaces, and celebratory hospitality zones, which encourage their customers to linger for longer as they make significant investment decisions.
Recommendation: Explore the interactive experiences that will tempt your target market in store and extend dwell time. This might take the form of immersive brand experiences and product information via QR codes. Alternatively, product demonstrations (real time or AV), workshops or personalised consultations might be more appropriate.
Stay alert to best practice:
Following the pandemic, Mary Portas wrote in the FT “Mediocrity is out the window. The retail businesses that will survive are the ones with a deeper connection to their customers.” Our luxury retail clients know very well that to future-proof their businesses they need to excel in every aspect of their service delivery. Through sector networking they discuss common challenges and visit each other’s stores to keep abreast of best practice in their sector. Importantly, they also invest in staff training and professional development to maintain superior levels of expertise, knowledge, and service.
Recommendation: Empower key staff to join retail networking groups, listen to thought-leader podcasts, and attend conferences and trade shows (many are free or heavily discounted for retailers). Encourage them to stay alert to best practice case studies and visit key competitors to experience first-hand how they do things. Then regularly review and adopt ‘best practice’ ideas in your stores.
In her latest e-news, Jo Causon at the Institute of Customer Service, cautions businesses on the importance of“making the right decisions based on the customer journey”and calls for service offers“which keep customers satisfied and generates repeat business and loyalty”. We obviously applaud this focus and think Jo would approve of our recommendations above.
Listen to Jo Causon in conversation with BBC Radio 4's You & Yours
About Forsta research consultants
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