Read more about Bergdorf Goodman’s very own Betty Halbreich, possibly the world´s most famous Personal Shopper.

Bergdorf Goodman was founded by Herman Bergdorf in 1899 and is located on Fifth Avenue in New York. For over 42 years Betty Halbreich has been there and is today known as the world´s most famous Personal Shopper. 

With many years of experience behind them, Bergdorf Goodman´s stylists are world-class. And Betty still helps dress the top clients of New York as well as helping Sex and the City´s stylist Patricia Fields.

Betty Halbreich explains that she sees her profession as a kind of therapist. And to succeed as a Personal Shopper you should, according to her, be more than just a ”sales lady”. You need to be a good listener.

I’m a good listener. I fall right into someone’s plan when they are speaking to me.”

Betty´s memoirs

In 2014 Betty release the book ‘I’ll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist‘. She talks about her life as a Personal Shopper, as well as her upbringing and relationships. Although the book includes amazing stories about clients who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with her help, there are an equal amount of personal stories about marriage and difficult moments in life. As a result of the book HBO also planned for a series written by Lena Dunham about Betty´s extraordinary life. However Betty does not know who she could imagine playing the role of herself in a potential series.

The Personal Shopping at Bergdorf Goodman is also a large source of income for the department store. However, you – as a Personal Shopper, need to know when to say no to a client. When she was asked the question by Vanity Fair if she has had clients who have been shopaholics she answered:

Oh yes, but I put a quick halt to that. I said, “That’s enough, don’t buy anymore—it’s over.”

Betty Halbreich to Vanity Fair, 2014.

On Bergdorf Goodman’s website you can read about every stylist and get a sense of which one will suit you and your needs. A perfect way for the client to feel safe and comfortable before their appointment and hopefully become a loyal future customer.

Read more:

Betty Halbreich interview – Mission Magazine

www.bergdorfgoodman.com

Vanity Fair

Click here to read about Remote Personal Shopping på Galeries Lafayette

Should the large fashion houses stop creating seasonal collections?

Pre-Spring, Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear, Pre-Fall, Haute Couture, Resort wear – the list of seasonal collections can be endless. Every year the traditional fashion schedule says that brands should produce multiple collections every year, something that leads to consumerism and waste. However, we are now seeing that one by one companies are adjusting to slow fashion. So what is that?

Slow fashion is a resistance movement against fast fashion where clothes are quickly produced and consumed. Slow fashion means that we both produce clothes with more thought and quality thereby buying clothes with more caution and thought. By distancing oneself from brands that produce fast fashion we place demands on a sustainable market and can improve the living conditions for those who work in the mass-industry and minimize the strain on the environment.

Despite the fact that the majority of the ruling brands are still launching collections every season, we can see an improvement. Some companies have completely stopped this type of production, like Gucci, and some designers have become more seasonally neutral in their collections. Lately we have seen thin coats in autumn collections and boots in summer collections. Perhaps we are moving towards a season-free future in the fashion industry?

One of the goals that we aspire to is to guide customers to purchases that they will be able to use for a long time to come. By teaching the customer about style and fit they will be able to shop for items that they will be able to use for many occasions. An item that is not used (and perhaps later tossed out) is a less environmentally friendly item, regardless of how it is produced.

Here you can read more about slow fashion:

What is slow fashion – Johanna Leymann

Are we seeing the end of seasonality in fashion?

Click here to read about Net-a-Porter’s EIP koncept

Charles Henry Harrod opened the doors to Harrods for the first time in 1824 and sold only tea and food at first. Today Harrods has seven floors and around 340 departments making it London´s largest department store and one of the world’s most famous. We take a closer look at Harrods exclusive service, Private Shopping.

With the title comes expectations of a top-notch service. This is why Harrods provides customers with a more private shopping experience through their new concept: Private Shopping.

Private Shopping is focused on a discreet and private service that is not available for bookings from the public but is instead by invitation only. The fact that the service is not available to everyone adds to a more selective clientele and sets Private Shopping one step above Personal Shopping on the exclusive shopping ladder.

Harrods high-quality service sometimes demands that the stylist visits the client at home to clean out their wardrobe or even to come with them to a fashion show to pick out garments from the latest collections. hey also offer exclusive addons for the items bought such as engraving.

Men´s fashion often finds itself in the back seat of the fashion world and is seldom given the same focus as women´s fashion. Therefore, Harrods has a separate styling team dedicated to men. This team caters to the general type of a male shopper who is on a time limit. To create a more time effective service they are now offering an online service as well.

Read more:

www.harrods.com

Click here to read about Bergdorf Goodman’s Personal Shopping

The retail industry after the pandemic? How to get the customer back and what to invest in after the pandemic.

The pandemic brought with it a severe decrease in the number of retail store customers. Many of these, it is predicted up to 30 percent, will not return to physical stores until the virus has been completely eliminated. At the same time, the online retail fashion industry has boomed, and many have increased their sales by 100 percent and more.

A target group with strong purchasing power to reach are the elderly who do not visit stores but also do not have the habit to, or sometimes the will to, shop online. This target group is used to and wants to be seen and taken care of; they simply want a lot of service.

Technical solutions

In order to keep and reach customers that the retail industry has lost during the pandemic there are several technical solutions that have been created. A tool for this is, among other apps, is Connect, an app that has been launched where personal suggestions can be given to the customer. The central part of apps such as Connect is to recreate key factors from the in-store experience but to offer them online. By using virtual personal shoppers, the customer communicates with the store in an effective way. This has proven to be so successful that companies are now using it for other target groups as it has shown an increase in sales in several areas.

Read more:

Business of Fashion

Click here to read about how Galeries Lafayette works with online Personal Shopping during the pandemic.

Delivering Personal Shopping to the elite – Net-a-Porters EIP concept

Net-a-Porter is one of the leading online department stores in the luxurysegment. They have long worked under the radar with their own loyalty programmes EIP, Extremely Important Person. Tese high spending customers are sent invitations to exclusive events, have their own personal shoppers, and receive hand-picked offers and first-hand access to new collections. The concept has been well received and has been developed to four different levels: , clearly communicated by how much you must spend to reach the next level.

Later, the concept also developed to include Net-a-Porter EIP Privé. It is an exclusive platform for invited clients and is dedicated to fine jewellery, diamonds, and exclusive precious stones. These customers are given access to one of the world’s most exclusive selection of jewellery and precious stones, wherever they may be.

As a result of this increased service need, the business is developing it further to include PCP, Private Client Partners who only work with the real top-spenders. This target group has proven to be important to entertain, with the right management they continue to shop and choose to stay on your channel.

Net-a-porter invests in personal shopping

Earlier this year Net-a-Porter let it be known that they would be doubling their staff in Personal Shopping. Now, the concepts are so well developed that each target group has its own type of service. We are seeing many in the retail industry who are choosing to follow in Net-a-Porter’s footsteps. Will service be one of the solutions to differentiate oneself within online retail?

In the end the basics are the same for everyone; personal, good service and exclusivity.

Click here to continue reading about Net-a-Porters Personal Shopping:

www.net-a-porter.com

Click here to read about Zalon by Zalando – Personal Shopping online.

Remote Personal Shopping at Galeries Lafayette

Imagine the possibility of walking around and trying out the best of French fashion from the comfort of your home. Now the department store Galeries Lafayette offers Remote Personal Shopping. The department store was founded by the cousins Alphonse Kahn and Théophile Bader in 1912.

The department store partly offers the ordinary service, a visit to the private salons for Personal Shopping to try on outfits that the stylist has prepared for you, but they now also offer something that they call Remote Personal Shopping. This means that you, from the comfort of your own home via video, shop from the department store with the help of a personal stylist. You will also be helped by floor staff in each department to receive the same help and experience that you would have had if you had been there. If you find anything you like, your order will be sent to your home address.

Many department stores and boutiques had to make changes during the pandemic to meet the customers needs´. What works for you and your store might be different from the direction La Fayette chose to go in, but customers have different needs and demands today than they did before the pandemic.

Read more:

Remote Personal Shopping at Galeries Lafayette

Click here to read about Bergdorf Goodman’s Personal Shopping

A Fashion Show in a book? How Loewe and Chanel kept in close contact with their customers during the pandemic.

When the pandemic started, many companies were forced to rethink how they interacted with their customers. Loewe and Chanel launched their fashion show in a book. Previously – brands would send VIP invitations to their top clients and give them an exclusive seating at their shows. When the pandemic restrictions were set in place brands had to think of new ideas to continuously reach their best customers.

The fashion houses began live-streaming fashion shows, but this did not have anywhere near the impact that the physical experience once had. Other types of digital marketing grew more and more popular, and the internet became a racecourse for the customers attention as it was the only way to reach them. This caused the price for marketing on social media channels to skyrocket.

Dior, Loewe, Prada, and Chanel were among those who solved the situation by gifting their customers. Printed books with their history and a closer and more intimate show of their clothes together with handwritten letters provided a more private contact between them. The pandemic re-taught us to appreciate the physical craft, which might just be the best tool in creating a connection with your customer.

Read more:

wwww.theglassmagazine.com

www.voguebuisness.com

Click here to read about the retail industry after the pandemic.

The large online store matchesfashion.com offers just about everything at 5 Carlos Place.

The luxurious multi-brand store Matchesfashion is most well-known internationally for their online service. How companies that are established online create a larger physical interaction with their customer is something that has been solved in different ways but few as remarkably as Matchesfashion.com. 

In 2018 the doors to 5 Carlos Place opened. A Place that offers Personal Shopping, retail, exhibitions, events, yes just about everything. Let us walk through the amazing building – floor by floor. 

Floor 1. Store

On the first floor they have a store with a selection of products. Customers can visit the website and order what they would like to have delivered to the store within 90 minutes.

Floor 2. Event

On the second floor – all of the events take place. These can entail everything from musical performances to dinners and lectures.

Floor 3. Private Shopping

The third floor is dedicated to their Personal Shopping. As a Personal Shopping customer you receive benefits such as a first look at new collections and invitations to VIP events.

Floor 4. Look

The fourth floor is where you can watch live-streams and discussion panels.

Floor 5. Listen

The fifth and final floor is for listening. Here you will find podcasts and live events for those who want to learn more about the stars of tomorrow.

Read more:

www.matchesfashion.com

Click here to read about how Loewe and Chanel adjusted during the pandemic.